KR100280972B1 - Method and device for upgrading firmware code for optical disk drive through ATA / IDE interface - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for upgrading firmware code of an optical disc drive through an ATA / IDE interface. The optical disc drive has a firmware code memory and a microcontroller that executes the firmware code. The drive decoder decodes the optical disc drive to connect to the host computer system via the ATA / IDE interface. The apparatus of the present invention receives a signal from the ATA / IDE interface and a programming controller that performs input / output decoding to determine whether the host computer requires an upgrade of the firmware or maintains the optical disk drive in normal operation. Include. The multiplexer has a first input connected to the programming controller and a second input connected to the microcontroller. When the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the multiplexer switches the first input to the memory device through the multiplexed output to perform the firmware upgrade operation. Thereby, the on-site upgrade operation can be performed without having to access the inside of the drive unit.

Description

Method and device for upgrading firmware code for optical disc drive through AT / IDE interface

The present invention relates to an on-site upgrade of firmware code of an optical disc drive. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for an optical disk drive capable of performing a firmware code upgrade through an ATA / IDE interface of a host computer system, and a method thereof.

Optical disc drives, particularly those in the CD-ROM drive category, are digital optoelectronic memory storage devices that have become so popular that almost all personal computer systems have one or more. In the field of personal computers, the design of CD-ROM drives was originally designed to store large amounts of information on CD-ROM disks. In some respects, the concept is basically the same as a magnetic disk drive that stores information on the surface of a storage medium. Since no recording is possible for the user to this CD group, it is called "CD-ROM". However, a large amount of data can be obtained from mass-produced CD-ROM discs at low cost.

Although CD-ROMs have been adopted by ISO as a standard for digital data storage, there are other uses beyond simply storing large amounts of data. CD-ROMs can be used to access various types of discs in a CD family, under appropriate software control.

For example, in a personal computer system, a CD-ROM drive is often used as a conventional CD player for playing a part of music stored on a first generation CD, that is, a music CD. Since the introduction of the original music CD, format families such as video CD (VCD) have emerged. Conventional CD-ROM drives for personal computer systems are designed to play VCD video programs on computer display screens. Because of the inherent limitations of MPEG-1 adopted, VCD standards are not used in critical applications, and two or three families of electronics assemblies have recently been developed as new standards known as digital video discs (or digital versatile discs).

This is a new video data storage format, one of a new family of CDs based on MPEG-2 Standard that provides substantially better video effects through the use of high resolution. As DVD standards have been proposed, backward compatibility of the next generation of DVD drives into the CD-ROM format has been devised into new systems. That is, the appearance of the DVD drive has been able to read not only his original DVD but also a CD-ROM.

Thus, as an optical compact disc subsystem for computer systems, a CD-ROM drive can be programmed to access other formats of the CD media family. This is carried out by a method known as software drive installation in a widespread x86 type IBM compatible model. By installing a suitable software driver, a computer system operated by the operating system can be used to read data files stored on a CD-ROM, a playback music CD or a video VCD. These software drivers are essentially installed on top of a hardware-level control program located in the control system of the CD-ROM drive. This firmware program is usually stored in a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device such as an erasable PROM (EPROM) or an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM).

Based on this firmware, the CD-ROM drive can be controlled by the host computer system to properly perform the functions of the music CD player, VCD player, and / or CD-ROM data drive. However, under certain circumstances, especially when a new model CD-ROM drive is commercially available, a software program such as firmware or operating system / application-level driver of the controlling electronics of the drive itself may cause the drive to malfunction. You may have problems (program bugs). If the problem is with the operating system / application-level driver, the problem may have nothing to do with the CD-ROM drive. However, unfortunately if the problem is in the firmware of the CD-ROM drive, software tuning will inevitably cause many problems.

Basically, if there is any program problem in the drive firmware, the firmware stored in the semiconductor memory device must be upgraded. That is, it should be replaced with another copy that does not have any problem. If the semiconductor memory used to hold the firmware program is a device such as an EPROM, it must be removed from the inserted socket or soldered from the printed circuit board to perform reprogramming of the memory contents. Usually, this requires ultraviolet irradiation on the EPROM device for erasing the contents of the memory. In order for the erased memory device to be reused again, in normal cases, it must be reprogrammed to hold a new flawless firmware program. Even if the EEPROM device is used to store drive firmware, it must be handled in the same way as for EPROM. This is because the conventional CD-ROM drive device control logic has a design flaw for on-site reprogramming.

The above-described firmware upgrade / adjustment procedure for the conventional CD-ROM device needs to open the casing of the drive so that the firmware memory device can be accessed. Before accessing the memory device smoothly, the CD-ROM device itself must be removed from the drive bay of the computer system unit if it is already installed. In addition, erasing and programming of EPROM and / or EEPROM devices typically requires the use of dedicated equipment, such as UV erasers and programmers. Thus, the normal firmware upgrade operation for a CD-ROM device is not usually done by the end user of the computer system. A more likely scenario is a serviceman removing a CD-ROM drive from the system, taking the drive to the manufacturer, and performing a firmware upgrade there.

When the CD-ROM drive to be upgraded is returned to the manufacturer's factory, open the casing and use the appropriate tools and / or equipment to remove the memory device from the drive electronics. After reprogramming, the memory device or its replacement with the correct firmware program code can be replaced into the drive electronics. After proper testing, the upgraded CD-ROM drive is ready to be returned to its owner. Once again, the skilled technician has to return the drive into the computer system. Clearly, the work involved in upgrading a CD-ROM drive requires relatively complex major knowledge. In the case of fierce competition for the price of a CD-ROM drive to the extent that it is difficult to maintain falling profits, for manufacturers, this upgrade operation is, strictly speaking, a huge loss.

This is because the need to perform a firmware upgrade for the CD-ROM drive occurs within the product's warranty period. As such, it is customary for the manufacturer to be responsible for the cost of providing the drive from the host computer system as well as shipping, apart from the additional personnel required to perform the upgrade. On the other hand, during the upgrade process, the drive and its components can be easily damaged resulting in additional losses. For the drive owner, the cost of hiring a technician to remove the drive from the computer system can often reach the cost level of the lowest CD-ROM drive.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for upgrading on-site firmware code of an optical disc drive through the ATA / IDE interface of a host computer system without having to remove the drive unit from the computer and open the cabinet.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for upgrading on-site firmware code of an optical disc drive through an ATA / IDE interface of a host computer system by a host processor that writes directly into a memory device holding firmware code.

1 is a block diagram showing an electronic control circuit of a conventional CD-ROM drive;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional interfacing connection between a microcontroller, a firmware memory, and a CD-ROM drive decoder for a drive IDE interface common to the CD-ROM drive of FIG. 1;

3 is a block diagram of an electronic control circuit of a CD-ROM drive employing an on-site firmware code upgrade device according to the present invention;

4 is a schematic block diagram of a programming controller of a CD-ROM drive implementing the electronic circuit structure of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a multiplexer of a CD-ROM drive implementing the electronic circuit structure of FIG.

The above object is, according to the present invention, in the apparatus for upgrading the firmware code of an optical disc drive via an ATA / IDE interface, the optical disc drive comprises: a memory device storing a firmware code, and an optical disc contents access operation of the drive; Achieved by a firmware code upgrade device of an optical disc drive including a microcontroller executing the firmware code to control the drive, and a drive decoder to decrypt the optical disc drive to a host computer system via the ATA / IDE interface. do. The device receives signals from the ATA / IDE interface to generate a programming enable signal that determines whether the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade or maintains the optical disk drive in normal operation, and input / output. Contains a programming controller that performs the decode. The multiplexer has a first and a second input, a multiplexed output and a multiplexed select input, wherein the first input is connected to the programming controller, the second input is connected to the microcontroller, and the multiplexed select input is Receive the programming enable signal. The multiplexer switches the first input to the memory device via the multiplexed output to perform a firmware upgrade operation when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade.

In addition, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a method of upgrading the firmware code of the optical disk drive through the ATA / IDE interface, the optical disk drive is a memory device for storing the firmware code, and the optical disk of the drive A firmware code upgrade method for an optical disc drive including a microcontroller that executes firmware code to control content access operations is provided. The method further comprises: the optical disc drive generating the ATA / IDE interface to generate a programming enable signal that first determines whether the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade or maintains the optical disk drive in normal operation. Receiving a signal from the device and performing input / output decode. Subsequently, the optical disk drive connects the ATA / IDE interface to the memory device and writes directly into the memory device when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, thereby allowing the host computer to perform a firmware upgrade operation. Connect the microcontroller to the memory device when the host computer system requires normal operation of the optical disc drive.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of the non-limiting preferred embodiment. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Although in modern personal computers, CD-ROM drives occupy most of the optical disc drives used in recent years, the term "optical disc drive" as used herein refers to new DVD drives from the same CD family. Keep in mind that it also includes other types of optical disc drives.

On the other hand, to communicate with a host personal computer system, there are some interface standards recently adopted by conventional CD-ROM drives, but most are ATA / IDE (Intelligent Disk Electronics or Industrial Disk Electronics) standard, or improved ones. The version is EIDE. Other standards include the Small Comuter System Interface (SCSI) and even the parallel port interface. However, the upgrade apparatus of the firmware code for the optical disk drive of the present invention is focused on the application of a drive having an ATA / IDE interface.

To illustrate the present invention, a general control circuit structure for a conventional IDE CD-ROM drive is described below. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional CD-ROM drive having an ATA / IDE interface has built-in control electronics, indicated at 20, in communication with the host computer system via the IDE bus 10. As shown in FIG.

The control circuit 20 for a conventional CD-ROM drive includes a microcontroller (μC) 23 which serves to adjust the internal operation of the drive. The circuit 20 also includes a nonvolatile memory device (NVM) 24 for storing command codes and data of drive firmware programs. As shown in the figure, a conventional CD-ROM drive provides the firmware code to the microcontroller 23 only through a read access, as indicated by the unidirectional arrow in the figure. The circuit 20 includes a CD-ROM decoder (CD-ROM DEC) 21 which enables the interaction between the microcontroller 23 and the host computer system via the interface IDE bus 10. In addition, the conventional circuit 20 has a working memory space that can be provided by the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) 25, which plays an important role of cache reading, for example, when the CD-ROM drive is operating. .

Also, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the control circuit 2 is a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and the analog music for converting digital music data into an analog signal when the CD-ROM operates as a music CD player. It includes a preamp for signal amplification, as well as a mechanism servo control (MECH SERVO) for the laser pickup head and a digital signal processor (DSP) for the accessed CD data. The circuit design of these functional blocks is not a feature of the present invention and is not described in detail, but is simply represented by a box 29 in the circuit 20.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the interconnect circuit between the microcontroller 23 and the CD-ROM decoder 21 as well as the nonvolatile memory 24 which is an example of a typical IDE CD-ROM drive. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the microcontroller 23 of the CD-ROM drive can proceed with normal data access operation in the drive unit under the control of the host computer system. This is done by the host processor running CD-ROM driver software and communicating with the drive microcontroller 23 via a series of standard IDE signals in the IDE interface bus 10. This series of bus interface signals includes drive addressing signals (HA0-2), input / output port select signals (HCS0-1), 16-bit data paths (HD0-15), and other control signals, i.e., read / write strobes. Signals (HRD / HWR), interrupt request / receive notification signals (HIRQ / HDRAQ / HDACK), reset signals (RESET), and 16-bit I / O transfer status indication signals (IOCS16).

In an embodiment according to the present invention, preferably in an embodiment that can be applied to a CD-ROM drive, the firmware code upgrade device of the optical disc drive via the ATA / IDE interface enables the construction of a control circuit as shown in FIG. . This is a control circuit based on the conventional circuit as shown in FIG.

The basic concept of the device for upgrading the firmware code of the optical disk drive via the ATA / IDE interface according to the present invention is to decode the command issued by the host computer via the ATA / IDE interface. The decrypted result determines whether the host computer wants to maintain normal CD-ROM drive data access operations or requires on-site upgrade of drive firmware code through writing to code storage memory. If the host computer system requires an on-site firmware upgrade, by connecting the ATA / IDE interface of the CD-ROM drive to the memory device, the host computer can write new code to the memory device. On the other hand, when the host system requires the CD-ROM drive unit to return to the normal operation mode, the microcontroller of the drive unit reconnects with the memory device to restore normal access of the program code in the memory.

In a preferred embodiment, a firmware upgrade for a CD-ROM drive via an ATA / IDE interface is used to insert a controlled signal multiplexer and its associated control logic between the microcontroller and its firmware storage memory device. This multiplexer is used to provide one of two possible data access routes to the drive's firmware memory device. One of the routes is established under normal operating conditions of the optical disc drive, in which the multiplexer connects the memory device with the microcontroller so that the microcontroller can read firmware program code and data from the memory for execution. Of course, the memory access mode of operation performed by the microcontroller on this memory device is unidirectional. That is, the microcontroller only performs read access in the memory device.

Another route that can be established for the firmware code storage memory device is to the memory device itself that is directly accessible by the host computer system when a code upgrade is indicated. In this mode of operation, the multiplexer connects the memory device to the IDE interface of the optical disc drive unit, allowing the processor of the host system to directly connect to the memory space of the firmware memory. This direct approach involves both writing to and reading from the memory device. The ability to read from the memory device is needed as a means to ascertain whether the correct contents of the programming have been obtained.

The on-site upgrade operation referred to here means performing the upgrade operation in the firmware code storage of the optical disc drive, without having to remove the memory device itself from the inside of the drive. For this upgrade operation, no dedicated programming means are required.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus for upgrading the firmware code of the optical disk drive through the ATA / IDE interface of the present invention is provided between the microcontroller 33 and the firmware code memory 34 of the drive control electronics 30. It has a multiplexer (MUX) 36 arranged in it. In addition to the decryption process performed by the CD-ROM decoder 31, the programming controller (PRG CNRL) 32 may be a microcontroller 33 for normal operation mode or an IDE for connection with a host processor in a firmware upgrade operation mode. It is used to adjust the multiplexer 36 for selectively connecting the memory device 34 to the bus 10. To do this, as shown in FIG. 3, the multiplexer 36 is basically a two-to-one multiplexing device, which will be described in detail below.

Thus, when the programming controller 32 connects the firmware memory device 34 and the microcontroller 33 of the drive, similarly to the case of the circuit structure of FIG. 1, both operate in a known manner, whereby the microcontroller 33 ) Performs a normal access operation of the firmware program code from the memory 34. That is, when the programming controller 32 connects the memory device 34 to the drive microcontroller 33, the microcontroller 33 may perform read-only access for retrieving executable code from the memory device 34. have.

On the other hand, when the programming controller 32 connects the memory device 34 to the IDE bus 10 of the optical disk drive unit, the processor of the host computer system enables access to the memory device 34. In order to facilitate performing on-site firmware code upgrades in a series of read / write operations in the memory device, both write and read access to the memory device 34 are allowed. This is similar to the on-board upgrade of the system Basic Input / Output System (BIOS) for IBM-compatible computer systems. In this onboard upgrade operation, the memory device in which the BIOS code is present does not need to be removed from the mother board of the computer system, and no dedicated semiconductor memory programmer device is required. With appropriate settings of some switches, code upgrade operations can be performed by a computer system running a software program.

Fig. 4 shows an example of a control circuit for a CD-ROM drive apparatus using the apparatus according to the present invention for performing on-site upgrade operation of firmware code. The circuit of FIG. 4 may be controlled to selectively connect the memory device 34 to the microcontroller 33 or the IDE bus 10 of the drive, respectively, to perform normal operation or upgrade operation.

From the correlation of the controller, a circuit of the programming controller 32 as shown in FIG. 4 is issued by the host computer system to perform programming contained in the memory contents when a firmware code upgrade instruction is issued. And convert the data into an electronic signal required by the memory device 34 through the IDE interface 10. On the other hand, the circuit of this programming controller 32 enables normal connection of the microcontroller 33 and the memory device 34 when drive normal operation is required.

In order to perform the code upgrade command and data conversion, the programming controller 32 may include an I / O address decoder (I / O ADDR DEC) 321, an upgrade initialization key enable logic, and the like. An INIT KEY EN) 322, an address program enable latch (APEN) 323, a data program enable latch (DPEN) 324, and a control program enable latch (CPEN) 325.

If an onsite upgrade operation is required, the host computer system must issue a series of corresponding commands and data into the IDE bus 10 in order for the programming controller 32 to operate separately from the bus 10 itself. This command and data do not appear on the IDE bus 10 at all in the drive's normal operating mode. Instead, they appear only if an onsite upgrade command is given, and this command and data are used to activate the programming controller 32.

For example, in the preferred example used in the case of an IBM compatible system, the host system's processor can record 32 consecutive predefined bytes of information in the I / O address 1F5. As shown in FIG. 4, these data bytes are received on the bus 10A via I / O address 1F5 when decrypted by I / O address decoder 321. Data received on I / O address 1F5 is sent to upgrade initialization key enable logic 322. The bus 10A is an extension of the IDE bus 10 which is internal to the controller circuit 30.

Upgrade initialization key enable logic 322 is triggered by a positive logic signal at I / O address 1F5 to receive 32 consecutive information bytes. If these information bytes are compared and found to be compatible with a given dataset, upgrade initialization key enable logic 322 generates an upgrade initialization key signal IKEYOK. This signal IKEYOK is relayed to the address program enable latch 323, the data program enable latch 324, and the control program enable latch 325, respectively. These three latches are enabled simultaneously in the controller circuit 30.

On the other hand, the address program enable latch 323 temporarily stores the 16-bit IDE data signal HD0-15 on the bus 10A on the bus 3336. The corresponding 16-bit data signal on bus 3236 is represented by signal IA0-15. On the other hand, the data program enable latch 324 temporarily stores at least significant bytes (8 bits) of the 16-bit IDE data signal HD0-15 on the bus 10A as the 8-bit data signal IHD0-7. In the same way, the control program enable latch 325 stores at least eight significant bits of the double-byte IDE data signal HD0-15 on the bus 10A on the bus 3336. The selected bits of the memorized bits include the write enable signal (IWE), the chip enable signal (ICE) and the output enable signal (IOE), and the IDE programming enable signal (IDEPEN), which perform programming operations. In order to strobe memory device 34.

For example, when the IDE programming enable signal IDEPEN obtains a positive logic state, the processor of the host computer system supplies command code and data necessary for programming the memory device 34. These commands and data are written into the memory device 34 on the IDE bus 10 at the designated I / O address. For example, in the embodiment of Fig. 4, the address of the read / write access to the memory device 34 may be provided to the I / O address 1F0 on the IDE interface in the form of a data signal HD0-15. On the other hand, the I / O addresses 1F3 and the data bits HD0-7 can be used to relay the program code written into the memory device 34 in the designated address space. In addition, the I / O address 1F4 and the data bits HD07 can be used to relay the necessary device strobe signals OE, CE and WE required by the memory device 34 when programmed. The programming enable signal (IDEPEN), which is used to indicate the status of the entire CD-ROM drive in relation to whether the drive is in normal operating mode or upgrade programming mode of operation, is itself an I / O as a bit specified in the data by HD0-7. It can be relayed through the address 1F4.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the 16-bit address is sufficient to address firmware memory devices commonly found in CD-ROM drives. For example, in the case of an 8-bit memory device, a 16-bit address relayed through the IA0-15 signal line may address 64K bytes of memory space. In terms of cost reduction, 8-bit memory devices are commonly used as firmware storage devices. This is appropriate because optical disc drives, such as CD-ROM drives, are relatively slow peripherals compared to the host processors of modern high-performance personal computer systems. The use of an 8-bit data path relayed through the IHD0-7 signal line connected to the microcontroller 33 is generally suitable for the design arrangement of a conventional CD-ROM drive (FIG. 3). In addition, all three memory devices that control the three enable signals IOE, IWE and ICE, as well as the programming enable signal IDEPEN, can all be obtained through the HD0-7 data bits relayed on the IDE interface bus.

Next, returning to FIG. 3 again, the circuit of the programming controller 32 supplies 16 address signals (IA0-15), 8 data signals (IHD0-7), and 4 control signals (ICE, IOE, IWE and IDEPEN). At each output, it can pass onto bus 3356. When these signals are delivered on the bus 3336, they facilitate multiplexing operations, depending on the state of the positive logic programming enable signal IDPEN, to selectively connect a series of access signals onto the memory device 34. It is effectively input to the multiplexer 36, which can be enabled. Under appropriate time control, a series of relayed signals are used by the microcontroller 33 of the CD-ROM drive itself to operate the drive normally within the CD-ROM data read session, or by the processor of the host computer system in the firmware upgrade session. Used by. Of course, the semiconductor memory device 34 used in cases such as firmware storage of a CD-ROM drive must be electrically reprogrammable. For example, the device 34 may be an EEPROM.

The foregoing is focused on the operation of the electronics of a CD-ROM drive manufactured according to the teachings of the present invention when undergoing a firmware code upgrade operation in a memory device. On the other hand, it should be noted that under normal circumstances, firmware code upgrades are a rare operation that can occur less than several times within the life of a CD-ROM drive. In most cases, the CD-ROM drive will read the memory contents of the CD-ROM inserted into the drive. In this case, the programming enable signal IDEPEN in the programming controller 32 of FIG. 4 remains in a state in which the memory device 34 is substantially directly connected to the microcontroller 33, so that the microcontroller 33 is a CD. It executes the code in the memory device 33 to perform the function of the ROM drive. In this respect, a CD-ROM drive using the device according to the invention is substantially the same as a conventional drive.

Thus, as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 3, the host computer system can perform a firmware-upgrade code-write operation on the memory device directly through the standard IDE bus 10. FIG. Under the control of the programming controller 32, programming operations are executed via the bus 10A, followed by the bus 3336 by instructions and associated data issued by the host computer. The updated code is then switched by the multiplexer 36 and delivered over the bus 3436 onto the memory device 34. 5 details the operation and circuit structure of a preferred example of the multiplexer 36.

As shown in FIG. 5, the multiplexer 36 used in the block diagram of FIG. 3 has five 2-1 multiplexer units 361, 362, 363, 364 and 365. All five multiplexer units can be switched by the same control signal. In the case of the embodiment shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the programming enable signal IDEPEN is used as the control signal. All five multiplexer units have their respective first set inputs coupled to the microcontroller 33 following the bus 3336 of the CD-ROM drive. The second set of inputs of the five multiplexer units are coupled to the IDE bus 10, following the bus 3236, through a connection through the programming controller 32. The multiplexed outputs of the five multiplexer units are coupled to the memory device 34 following the bus 3336. As clearly shown in the block diagram of FIG. 3, this bus connection arrangement is optional for the microcontroller 33 for the programming enable signal (IDEPE) to operate normally and for the drive IDE bus (10) for the firmware upgrade operation. By being connected to, the control of the memory device 34 is facilitated.

The multiplexer unit 361 has a switched signal path width of 16 bits in accordance with the need to relay 16 bits (IA0-15) providing address bits during the programming operation of the memory device 34. When the CD-ROM drive is operating normally, this 16-bit signal path width allows the 16-bit microcontroller address bits (μCA0-15) to be relayed to the 16 address bits (FA0-15) of the memory device 34. In a similar manner, the multiplexer unit 362 according to the need to relay two sets of data lines IHD0-7 and μCD0-7 onto the corresponding 8-bit data bus FD0-7 of the memory device 34, It has 8 bits of width of the switched signal path. On the other hand, the multiplexer units 363, 364 and 365 are single line mulplexing circuits that can be used to relay the WE, CE and OE control signals of the memory device 34.

Thus, using an ATA / IDE interface, a CD-ROM drive using an on-site firmware code upgrade device can be operated in one of two operating modes as required. In the normal operating mode, the firmware code memory device and the microcontroller of the CD-ROM drive can be connected together so that the code in the memory can be accessed by the microcontroller performing normal CD-ROM operation. On the other hand, when the CD-ROM drive enters the firmware upgrade mode, the memory device is coupled with the drive's IDE interface so that the host computer processor can write directly into the addressed memory space of the memory device through a computer system bus coupled to the IDE bus. To make it possible. Programming command codes and new code content can be relayed into the memory device through an IDE interface provided in the CD-ROM drive device.

Because of this direct on-site programming capability, a CD-ROM drive using the circuit arrangement of the present invention can maximize the convenience of firmware code on-site upgrade operation. The drive itself does not need to be removed from inside the computer system cabinet. The overall code upgrade operation can be performed entirely through software control. Given the appropriate information, even general end users can perform upgrade operations, for example, according to the detailed instructions shown on the display screen of the computer system. Both new versions of the firmware program code and upgrade software can be made available to anyone who wants it, either through regular mail or e-mail services, or through a transport service in a public network such as the Internet. Effective savings of resources and time costs are expected for both users and end users.

In addition, the device for performing on-site firmware code upgrades via an ATA / IDE interface to a CD-ROM drive can be easily integrated into the ASIC chipset of the drive circuit because of the relatively simple nature of the digital electronics used. have. In fact, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the apparatus of the present invention may be integrated, for example, in the CD-ROM decoder 31 of FIG. 3 or in the microcontroller itself.

Although the invention has been described in detail by way of examples, it should be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Rather, the embodiments are illustrated for the purpose of including various modifications and similar devices. Thus, the scope of the present invention should be accorded the widest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

According to the apparatus and method of the present invention, on-site firmware code upgrade of an optical disc drive is possible through the ATA / IDE interface of the host computer system without having to remove the drive unit from the computer and open the cabinet.

Claims (29)

A memory device for storing firmware code, a microcontroller that executes the firmware code to control the drive's access to optical disk contents, and a drive that decrypts the optical disk drive to access the host computer system through an ATA / IDE interface. A device for upgrading firmware code of an optical disc drive via an ATA / IDE interface, comprising a decoder, Receive a signal from the ATA / IDE interface to generate a programming enable signal that determines whether the host computer system requires an upgrade of the firmware or maintains the optical disk drive in normal operation. Programming controller means for performing output decoding; The host computer system has a first input connected to the programming controller means, a second input connected to the microcontroller, a multiplexed selection input to receive the programming enable signal, and a multiplexed output, wherein the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade. And a multiplexer means for switching the first input to the memory device through the multiplexed output to perform a firmware upgrade operation. The method of claim 1, wherein the programming controller means, An input / output decoder for generating the programming enable signal, receiving a signal from the ATA / IDE interface to generate first, second, third and fourth enable signals, and performing input / output decoding; ; Initialization key enable logic to receive the first enable signal and a corresponding signal from the ATA / IDE interface to generate an upgrade initialization key signal when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade; When the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the ATA / IDE interface rotor upgrade upgrade key signal, the second enable signal, and a corresponding signal are generated to generate a recorded address signal for the memory device. An address program enable latch for receiving and temporarily storing a corresponding signal on the ATA / IDE interface; When the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, an upgrade initialization key signal, the third enable signal, and a corresponding signal are received from the ATA / IDE interface to generate a data signal recorded for the memory device. A data program enable latch for temporarily storing a corresponding signal on the ATA / IDE interface; When the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the upgrade initialization key signal, the fourth enable signal, and a corresponding signal are received from the ATA / IDE interface to generate the recorded control signal. A firmware code upgrade device for an optical disc drive via an ATA / IDE interface, comprising: a control program enable latch for temporarily storing a corresponding signal on an ATA / IDE interface. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the corresponding signal received by the address program enable latch from the ATA / IDE interface receives a total of 16 bit address signals of the ATA / IDE interface. Firmware code upgrade device of the optical disk drive through the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that it comprises a. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the corresponding signal received by the data program enable latch from the ATA / IDE interface is at least 8 significant bits of data of the ATA / IDE interface. Firmware code upgrade device of the optical disk drive via the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that it comprises a signal. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the corresponding signal received by the control program enable latch from the ATA / IDE interface is at least 8 bits of data of the ATA / IDE interface. Firmware code upgrade device of the optical disk drive via the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that it comprises a signal. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the optical disc drive is a CD-ROM drive. The firmware code upgrade apparatus of claim 2, wherein the optical disc drive is a DVD drive. A memory device for storing firmware code, a microcontroller that executes the firmware code to control the drive's access to the optical disc contents, and decrypts the optical disc drive to access the system via a ATA / IDE interface to the host computer. In the firmware code upgrade device of the optical disk drive via the ATA / IDE interface, comprising a drive decoder, An input / output decoder for generating the programming enable signal, receiving a signal from the ATA / IDE interface to generate first, second, third and fourth enable signals, and performing input / output decoding; ; Initialization key enable logic to receive the first enable signal and a corresponding signal from the ATA / IDE interface to generate an upgrade initialization key signal when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade; When the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the upgrade initialization key signal, the second enable signal, and a corresponding signal are received from the ATA / IDE interface to generate a recorded address signal for the memory device. An address program enable latch for temporarily storing a corresponding signal on the ATA / IDE interface; When the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the upgrade initialization key signal, the third enable signal, and a corresponding signal are output from the ATA / IDE interface to generate a data signal recorded for the memory device. A data program enable latch for receiving and temporarily storing a corresponding signal on the ATA / IDE interface; When the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the upgrade initialization key signal, the fourth enable signal, and a corresponding signal are received from the ATA / IDE interface to generate the recorded control signal. And a control program enable latch for temporarily storing a corresponding signal on an ATA / IDE interface, and determining whether the host computer system requires an upgrade of the firmware or maintains the optical disk drive in normal operation. Programming controller means for receiving a signal from an ATA / IDE interface to perform input / output decoding to generate a programming enable signal; The host computer system has a first input connected to the programming controller means, a second input connected to the microcontroller, a multiplexed selection input to receive the programming enable signal, and a multiplexed output, wherein the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade. The firmware code upgrade of the optical disc drive via the ATA / IDE interface, comprising multiplexer means for switching the first input to the memory device via the multiplexed output to perform a firmware upgrade operation. Device. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the corresponding signal received by the address program enable latch from the ATA / IDE interface receives a total of 16 bit address signals of the ATA / IDE interface. Firmware code upgrade device of the optical disk drive through the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that it comprises a. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the corresponding signal received by the data program enable latch from the ATA / IDE interface is at least an important 8-bit or more data signal of the ATA / IDE interface. Firmware code upgrade apparatus of the optical disk drive through the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that it comprises a. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the corresponding signal received by the control program enable latch from the ATA / IDE interface is at least 8 significant bits of data of the ATA / IDE interface. Firmware code upgrade device of the optical disk drive via the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that it comprises a signal. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the optical disc drive is a CD-ROM drive. The firmware code upgrade apparatus of claim 8, wherein the optical disc drive is a DVD drive. 10. A method of upgrading firmware code through an ATA / IDE interface of an optical disk drive comprising a memory device for storing firmware code and a microcontroller executing the firmware code to control the drive's access to optical disk contents. The method, In order to determine whether the host computer system requires an upgrade of the firmware or to maintain the optical disk drive in normal operation, the optical disk drive receives a signal from the ATA / IDE interface to obtain input / output decode. Performing; The optical disc drive connects the ATA / IDE interface to the memory device so that when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the host computer performs a firmware upgrade operation by writing directly into the memory device. If the host computer system requires normal operation of the optical disc drive, connecting the microcontroller to the memory device, wherein the firmware code upgrade method of the optical disc drive via the ATA / IDE interface is included. . The method of claim 14, wherein the optical disc drive is a CD-ROM drive. The method of claim 14, wherein the optical disc drive is a DVD drive. A memory device for storing firmware code, a microcontroller that executes the firmware code to control the drive's access to optical disk contents, and a drive that decrypts the optical disk drive to access the host computer system through an ATA / IDE interface. Programming to selectively switch multiplexing means having a decoder, a first input connected to said programming control means, a second input connected to said microcontroller, a multiplexed output and a multiplexing selection input, and multiplexing of said multiplexer means; In the firmware code upgrade method through the ATA / IDE interface of the optical disk drive having a control means, The programming controller means receives a signal from the ATA / IDE interface to generate a programming enable signal that determines whether the host computer system requires an upgrade of firmware or maintains the optical disk drive in normal operation. Performing input / output decoding; The programming computer for switching the first input to the memory device through the multiplexed output by the multiplexer means having the multiplexed selection input to perform a firmware upgrade operation when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade. The firmware code upgrade method of the optical disk drive through the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that it comprises the step of receiving a signal signal. The method of claim 17, wherein the programming controller means to generate the programming enable signal comprises: In order to generate the programming enable signal and to generate first, second, third and fourth enable signals, an input / output decoder of the programming control means receives a signal from the ATA / IDE interface, Performing output / decode; When the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, an initialization key enable logic of the programming control means receives the first enable signal and a corresponding signal from the ATA / IDE interface to generate an upgrade initialization key signal. Making a step; When the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the address program enable latch of the programming control means for temporarily storing a signal corresponding to the ATA / IDE interface to generate the recorded address signal is initiated by the upgrade. Receiving a key signal, the second enable signal and a corresponding signal; When the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, a data program enable of the programming control means for temporarily storing a corresponding signal on the ATA / IDE interface to generate the recorded data signal for the memory device. A latch receiving the upgrade initialization key signal, the third enable signal, and a corresponding signal from the ATA / IDE interface; Control program enable latch of the programming control means for temporarily storing a signal corresponding to the ATA / IDE interface to generate the write control signal for the memory device when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade. Receiving the upgrade initialization key signal, the fourth enable signal and a corresponding signal from the ATA / IDE interface. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the corresponding signal received by the address program enable latch from the ATA / IDE interface is a total 16 bit address signal of the ATA / IDE interface. Firmware code upgrade method of the optical disk drive via the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the corresponding signal received by the data program enable from the ATA / IDE interface is at least 8 bits of significant data of the ATA / IDE interface. Firmware code upgrade method of the optical disc drive through the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that the signal. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the corresponding signal received by the control program enable latch from the ATA / IDE interface is at least 8 bits of data of the ATA / IDE interface. Firmware code upgrade method of the optical disc drive through the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that the signal. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the optical disc drive is a CD-ROM drive. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the optical disc drive is a DVD drive. A memory device for storing firmware code, a microcontroller that executes the firmware code to control the drive's access to optical disk contents, and a drive that decrypts the optical disk drive to access the host computer system through an ATA / IDE interface. A multiplexer means comprising a decoder, a first input connected to said programming control means, a second input connected to said microcontroller, a multiplexed output and a multiplexed selection input, and for selectively switching the multiplexing of said multiplexer means; A method for upgrading firmware code through an ATA / IDE interface of an optical disc drive including programming control means, the method comprising: The input / output decoder of the programming control means receives a signal from the ATA / IDE interface to generate the programming enable signal and to generate the first, second, third and fourth enable signals. Performing the decoding, and if the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, in order to generate an upgrade initialization key signal, an initialization key enable logic of the programming control means is configured to enable the first enable from the ATA / IDE interface. Receiving a signal and a corresponding signal and temporarily storing a corresponding signal on the ATA / IDE interface to generate the recorded address signal when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade; The address program enable latch of the means is Receiving an upgrade initiation key signal, the second enable signal and a corresponding signal, and to generate the recorded data signal to the memory device when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the ATA Receiving the upgrade initialization key signal, the third enable signal, and a corresponding signal from the ATA / IDE interface by a data program enable latch of the programming control means for temporarily storing a corresponding signal on the / IDE interface; Enable the control program of the programming control means to temporarily store a signal corresponding to the ATA / IDE interface to generate the write control signal for the memory device when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade; Latch on Generating a programming enable signal that receives the upgrade initialization key signal, the fourth enable signal, and a corresponding signal from an ATA / IDE interface, wherein the host computer system requires an upgrade of firmware; Receiving, by the programming control means, a signal from the ATA / IDE interface to perform input / output decode to generate a programming enable signal that determines whether to require the disk drive to remain in normal operation; The programming computer for switching the first input to the memory device through the multiplexed output by the multiplexer means having the multiplexed selection input to perform a firmware upgrade operation when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade. The firmware code upgrade method of the optical disk drive through the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that it comprises the step of receiving a signal signal. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the corresponding signal received by the address program enable latch from the ATA / IDE interface is a total 16 bit address signal of the ATA / IDE interface. Firmware code upgrade method of the optical disk drive through the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that it comprises a. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the corresponding signal received by the data program enable latch from the ATA / IDE interface is at least a significant 8-bit data signal of the ATA / IDE interface. Firmware code upgrade method of the optical disk drive through the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that it comprises a. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein when the host computer system requires a firmware upgrade, the corresponding signal received by the control program enable latch from the ATA / IDE interface is at least 8 significant bits of data of the ATA / IDE interface. Firmware code upgrade method of the optical disc drive via the ATA / IDE interface, characterized in that it comprises a signal. The method of claim 24, wherein the optical disc drive is a CD-ROM drive. The firmware code upgrade method of claim 24, wherein the optical disc drive is a DVD drive.

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