KR20070094167A - Method and apparatus for starting multiple operating system using external memory in a mobile station - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for driving a multiple OS(Operating System) by using a memory in a mobile station are provided to enable the mobile station to offer various OSs in a single mobile station and supply various OS functions and applications corresponding to the OS functions to a user through multiple OS booting. An apparatus for driving a multiple OS(Operating System) in a mobile station with a memory comprises the followings: the mobile station(210) which includes an interface(230) formed as a hardware platform for common use and is connected to an external memory through the interface, and perform multiple OS booting corresponding to an OS included in the connected external memory; and an external memory(250) which is connected through the interface installed to a side of the mobile station and provides the OS which the external memory itself includes.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STARTING MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEM USING EXTERNAL MEMORY IN A MOBILE STATION}

1 is a view schematically showing an initial operation process of a general mobile terminal;

2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a structure of a mobile terminal for operating a multi-OS according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a structure of a mobile terminal for supporting a multi-OS according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a diagram illustrating an authentication procedure for operating an OS in a general mobile terminal;

5 is a diagram illustrating an authentication procedure for driving a multi-OS in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile station (MS), and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for driving an operating system (hereinafter, referred to as an OS) of a mobile terminal.

In general, with the development of wireless communication technology, the spread of mobile terminals is increasing exponentially, and as the spread of mobile terminals is generalized, communication providers are providing various services to satisfy various needs of subscribers. In other words, mobile communication service providers currently provide various services such as wireless Internet, short message service (SMS) and multimedia services such as image, video, and video, as well as calls without regard to space and time. To provide.

The mobile terminal performs personal information management and information exchange with a computer in addition to the basic function of making a call with a general telephone subscriber or another mobile communication subscriber through a base station (BS) while arbitrarily moving in a mobile communication service area. It has additional functions such as Recently, mobile terminals having improved performances have emerged differently each day, such as transmission and reception of images and videos, implementation of virtual 3D sound and stereo sound, MP3 player functions, and a built-in camera capable of taking pictures.

In addition, according to the function, it may be classified into a terminal device having an Internet function, a terminal device for transmitting a text, a terminal device having a video function, a terminal device for checking a user's health, and a terminal device having a game function. In addition, digital multimedia services such as digital TV and video on demand (VOD) services are provided and commercialized.

In addition, the current mobile terminal is not only a game using only text, but also currently performing game functions that implement 3D and providing a messenger function. In addition, not only an input method using a keypad but also a portable terminal device using a function of inputting using a touch pad has emerged. Currently, not only the method but also many application functions are implemented in the mobile terminal, and application functions applied to the mobile terminal are increasing.

As the mobile terminal accommodates various application functions as described above, the demand for the functions provided by the mobile terminal itself is increasing. In addition, when various functions are applied to the mobile terminal by using the mobile terminal, the demand for functions such as a search or manipulation method for a function implemented in the mobile terminal based on the functions such as an image, an image, a video, etc. is also increasing. have.

As described above, as the use of mobile terminals is rapidly spreading and the user base is widened, the mobile terminal market is expanding. Therefore, many mobile terminal developers are trying to develop a mobile terminal that can accommodate the needs of many users.

On the other hand, the mobile terminal as described above is equipped with a dedicated OS. Therefore, applications operating under the OS are also limited to mobile terminal applications, and the user cannot intervene in the management portion of these applications at all. As a result, there is a problem that the user's request for using the new function is not reflected at all. For example, an application or data that can be used or managed in a mobile terminal or a personal computer using an OS different from that of the user's mobile terminal cannot be used in the mobile terminal-specific OS, and even such an attempt is not possible. It is configured to.

In part, it is possible to use some of the functions of the mobile terminal while using an OS compatible with an application that can be managed on a personal computer such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), for example, Windows CE, Palm OS, and Selvik OS. There is a device. However, even in such a case, since the OS uses a function block for wireless communication as a simple peripheral concept while using a single OS, there is a problem in that an application for a mobile terminal cannot be used.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for efficiently driving an operating system of a mobile terminal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method capable of providing various operating systems in a mobile terminal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for driving a multi-operating system using an external memory in a mobile terminal.

An apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above objects, in the apparatus for driving a multi-operating system in a mobile terminal, includes an interface formed of a common hardware platform, and the external memory and the interface through the interface; And a mobile terminal performing a multi-operating system booting corresponding to an operating system included in the connected external memory, and a mobile terminal connected through the interface provided on one side of the mobile terminal, and interworking with the mobile terminal. Includes external memory that provides an operating system to include.

A method according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, in the method for driving a multi-operating system in a mobile terminal, the mobile terminal and the process of initializing the device in the mobile terminal (System Reset) Acquiring external memory information after initializing the device, determining whether the external memory can operate with the external memory; and loading an operating system mounted in the external memory if the external memory can operate with the external memory. And operating in response to an operating system of the external memory.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in the following description, only parts necessary for understanding the operation according to the present invention will be described, and descriptions of other parts will be omitted so as not to distract from the gist of the present invention.

Prior to the description of the present invention, the terms or words used in the specification and claims described below should not be construed as being limited to the ordinary or dictionary meanings, the inventors in their best way For the purpose of explanation, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention on the basis of the principle that it can be appropriately defined as the concept of term. Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, various modifications that can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

The present invention relates to a mobile station (MS), and in particular, an embodiment of the present invention can drive a multi operating system (hereinafter, referred to as an OS) in the mobile terminal. The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method. That is, according to an embodiment of the present invention, by allowing a variety of OSs to be booted in one mobile terminal, the user may be provided with various OSs and corresponding applications.

In general, mobile terminals have increased demands for additional functions such as data communication, telephone number database, scheduling, personal memo, etc. in addition to basic voice calls. In particular, a smart phone, which is a combination of a mobile terminal and a personal digital assistant (PDA), is further equipped with a wide variety of functions such as Internet search, broadcast reception, and video / music playback. Applications for mobile terminals that implement these additional functions are commonly known. For example, the applications may include a game, a book book, a book book, an office program, and the like.

On the other hand, a typical mobile terminal drives the OS through a booting procedure when power is applied. The OS thus driven displays a standby screen, that is, an initial screen (time / date, image, etc.) set in the mobile terminal. In addition, in the case of the smart phone, the OS runs at boot time and executes an initial application specified by the manufacturer. Hereinafter, an initial operation process of a typical mobile terminal will be described.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an initial operation process of a general mobile terminal.

Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile terminal proceeds to step 103 when power is supplied as in step 101. In step 103, the mobile terminal performs a booting procedure and then proceeds to step 105 to drive an OS set in the mobile terminal. When the driving of the OS is completed, the mobile terminal proceeds to step 107 to display a standby screen corresponding to the driven OS.

As described above, in a typical mobile terminal, a specific OS determined by a manufacturer is driven when power is applied, and then only a corresponding application corresponding to the OS can be executed.

Therefore, in a typical mobile terminal, it is not possible to use an application desired by the user or to provide a corresponding service in addition to an application compatible with an OS set in the mobile terminal according to a user's need. That is, in a typical mobile terminal, the initial OS and the corresponding applications are mounted on a nonvolatile memory and fixed, so that only services provided by the basic OS are used, and a user can change them. not.

In addition, in the mobile terminal structure as described above, there are many difficulties in exchanging data through data communication with other user mobile terminals using different OS bases, and there is a problem in that it is not easy to distribute software bugs by upgrading them. .

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention, by booting a variety of OS in one mobile terminal, to provide a variety of OS to the user. As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, various OSs are provided, and a user may use various applications and services corresponding to each OS.

In the following description, the mobile terminal is described as an example of a mobile communication terminal for convenience of description, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is a terminal for providing convenience to a user. Preferably, the mobile terminal is a mobile communication terminal, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone. , MP3 players, digital cameras, cellular phones, personal communications services (PCS) phones, international mobile telecommunications (IMT) phones, and universal mobile telecommunications systems (UMTS) phones. It will be apparent that the present invention can be applied to information and communication devices and multimedia devices and applications thereof.

2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a structure of a mobile terminal for operating a multi-OS according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, an apparatus for operating a multi-OS according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a mobile terminal 210, an interface unit 230 provided on one side of the mobile terminal 210, and the interface unit. An external memory 250 inserted into the 230 and interworking with the mobile terminal 210 is included.

The external memory 250 may include a secure digital (SD) card, a smart media (SM) card, a multimedia card (MMC, multimedia card), a compact flash (CF) card, and a universal serial bus (USB, Universal). Serial Bus) card and the like, and the interface unit 230 is preferably provided in the form of a slot for interworking the external memory 250 with the mobile terminal 210. Also preferably, the interface unit 230 may be connected to the various external memories 250 as described above and constitute a common hardware platform that can be commonly applied to all terminals.

Referring to FIG. 2, when the external memory 250 is mounted through the interface unit 230, the mobile terminal 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention performs a predetermined booting procedure and then executes the external memory ( The operating system mounted on the 250 is executed. That is, when the external memory 250 in which a predetermined OS and an application is embedded is mounted in the mobile terminal 210, the mobile terminal 210 recognizes and analyzes the same and is driven in correspondence with the corresponding OS.

Therefore, when the mobile terminal 210 is connected to the external memory 250, a standby screen corresponding to the corresponding OS stored in the external memory 250 currently inserted through the display unit of the mobile terminal 210 is displayed.

3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a structure of a mobile terminal for supporting a multi-OS according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Before describing FIG. 3, the multi-OS support system according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a mobile terminal 300 and an external memory 350 as shown in FIG. 3, and the external memory ( The 350 may include a plurality of OSs each of which is applied to each mobile terminal, for example, a Palm terminal, a Pocket PC terminal, a Symbian terminal, and a smart phone. Nth external memory.

Referring to FIG. 3, a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is largely divided into an input means, a processing means, a storage means, an output means, and a communication means.

The input means includes an audio processor 307 for processing voice data input through a microphone, a key input unit 309 for receiving text data from a user, and a camera 313 for receiving image data through photographing an external predetermined object. It includes. That is, the input means is responsible for receiving multimedia data such as voice data, text data, and video data through the above-described configuration devices.

The processing means includes a signal processor 315 for converting image data input through the camera 313 into a digital signal, and an image processor 317 for processing input image data digitally processed by the signal processor 315. And a data processor 305 in charge of processing voice data transmitted from the audio processor 307 or the like, or text data input from the user through the key input unit 309, and a series of control of the internal blocks of the mobile terminal. It provides an interface for interworking with the controller 301 in charge and a predetermined external memory 350, and the data mounted in the external memory 350 through the interface, for example, an OS, an application, and the external memory 350. An external memory interface unit 321 for transmitting information and the like to the control unit 301. That is, the processing means is responsible for a series of processes corresponding to each of the user data input from the input means, for example, the voice data, text data and video data, and additional functions requested by the user.

The storage means is responsible for storing user data input through the input means and storing an application for implementing additional functions of the mobile terminal, and includes a memory 311.

The output means includes a display unit 319 for constructing and outputting a screen for providing the user with respect to the input or requested user data and additional functions, and an audio processor 307 for outputting the voice data to the outside. . That is, the output means outputs user data input through the input means or data related to user data stored in the storage means and a screen according to each additional function.

The communication means wirelessly transmits the user data to another external user or the like and is responsible for a function of transmitting / receiving content through interworking with an external web server, and will be referred to as a radio frequency (hereinafter referred to as 'RF'). A processor 303, an antenna, and the like.

Looking at each of the components as described above in more detail, the RF processing unit 303 performs a series of communication related to mobile phone communication, data communication, and the like. The RF processor 303 includes an RF transmitter for upconverting and amplifying a frequency of a transmitted signal, and an RF receiver for low noise amplifying and downconverting a received signal. The data processor 305 may include a means for performing encoding and modulation on a signal transmitted through the RF processor 303, a means for performing demodulation and decoding on a signal received through the RF processor 303, and the like. It may include.

The audio processor 307 reproduces a received audio signal output from the data processor 305 or transmits an audio signal such as a voice input from a microphone to the data processor 305. The key input unit 309 includes numeric, character and / or function keys for inputting numeric and character information and for setting various functions.

The memory 311 may be composed of a program memory and a data memory. The program memory may store program modules for controlling a general operation of the mobile terminal and a program module including an application for providing a multi-OS using the external memory 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The data memory may include a database that temporarily stores data generated while the program modules are executed and stores respective data in a database form. Here, the database includes a database in which all upper / lower menus provided by the mobile terminal, applications and user data corresponding to the respective menus are mapped to each other, and each database is recorded.

In addition, the program module according to the multi-OS, a program module for providing result information on the input of the external memory 350, a program module for recognizing information on the input of the external memory 350, the external memory 350 A dedicated program including a program module for extracting information on the input of the) and a program module for converting and managing the recognized information may be mounted.

The controller 301 performs a function of controlling the overall operation of the mobile terminal. In addition, the controller 301 controls a mode setting corresponding to a mode setting change signal when the mode setting change signal is input from the key input unit 309, and controls an additional function or user data generated or managed in response to the input mode setting signal. Control to display. When the information of a predetermined external memory 350 is transferred through the external memory interface unit 321 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 301 determines the information and is operable with the external memory 350. Determine and determine whether to boot according to the result. The controller 301 receives an OS mounted in the external memory 350 from the external memory interface 321 when the external memory 350 can interoperate with a load path to the memory 311. To control.

The camera 313 captures a predetermined image to receive a data signal, and performs digital signal conversion of the received image data through interworking with an encoder (not shown). The signal processor 315 converts an image signal output from the camera 313 into an image signal.

The image processor 317 performs a function of generating screen data for displaying an image signal output from the signal processor 315. The image processor 315 transmits an image signal received under the control of the controller 301 according to the standard of the display unit 319, and compresses and decompresses the image data.

The display unit 319 displays the image data output from the image processor 317 on a screen. In addition, execution screens corresponding to predetermined applications provided through interworking with the external memory 350 are displayed.

The external memory interface unit 321 provides an interface for interworking with a predetermined external memory 350, mounts or detaches the external memory 350 to the mobile terminal 300 through the interface, and installs the external memory 350. Data mounted in the 350, for example, an OS, an application, and device information and security information of the external memory 350 are transmitted to the controller 301.

As described above, in the mobile terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention, by configuring the hardware portion applied to the mobile terminal for external memory input in the same manner, each OS mounted in each external memory, for example, Windows CE , Palm OS, CellVic OS, etc., to enable various functions and applications corresponding to each OS.

Here, in driving the mobile terminal corresponding to each OS, it is preferable to determine whether the OS mounted in the external memory is valid, and determine whether to boot accordingly. Hereinafter, an authentication procedure for operating an OS in a general mobile terminal, a multi OS operating method and an authentication procedure in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

First, an authentication procedure for operating an OS in the general mobile terminal may be represented as shown in FIG. 4.

4 is a diagram illustrating an authentication procedure for operating an OS in a general mobile terminal.

Referring to FIG. 4, the general mobile terminal first proceeds to step 403 when the system is reset in step 401. In step 403, the mobile terminal moves to an initial start address, for example, 0 (0x00000000), for booting the mobile terminal. That is, in step 403, the mobile terminal starts with address 0 and then proceeds to step 405. At this time, an interrupt vector table is located at address 0.

Next, when the mobile terminal is moved to the initial start address, the mobile terminal drives a program called a boot loader existing in the first item of the interrupt vector table located at the start address in step 405. In this case, the boot loader generally refers to a display unit and a universal serial bus such as basic devices of a mobile terminal, for example, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter, referred to as an LCD). Bus, hereinafter referred to as 'USB'). Therefore, in step 405, the mobile terminal initializes the device in step 407 after driving the boot loader.

Next, after initializing the device, the mobile terminal proceeds to step 409 and loads an OS into a memory of the mobile terminal, that is, a random access memory (hereinafter, referred to as RAM). Proceed to When the OS is loaded into the RAM, the mobile terminal proceeds to step 411 and moves to the initial position where the OS operates. Then, as in step 413, the OS operates and the process proceeds to step 415 to reinitialize and operate the devices.

In the above description, a method of driving an OS executed in a general mobile terminal, that is, the mobile terminal itself has been described. Hereinafter, a method of driving a multi-OS using an external memory according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. .

5 is a diagram illustrating an authentication procedure for driving a multi-OS in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention first proceeds to step 503 when the system is reset (System Reset) in step 501. In step 503, the mobile terminal moves to an initial start address, for example, 0 (0x00000000), for booting the mobile terminal. That is, in step 503, the mobile terminal starts with address 0 and then proceeds to step 505. At this time, an interrupt vector table is located at address 0.

Next, when the mobile terminal is moved to the initial start address, the mobile terminal drives a program called a boot loader existing in the first item of the interrupt vector table located at the start address in step 505. Here, the boot loader generally refers to a program for initializing basic devices of a mobile terminal, for example, a display unit such as an LCD and a USB. Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention, an interface driver for inserting an external memory through the boot loader is also initialized. Therefore, in step 505, the mobile terminal proceeds to step 507 after driving the boot loader to initialize the display unit, the USB and the external memory interface driver.

Next, after the device initialization, the mobile terminal proceeds to step 509 and reads information of the external memory to step 511. In step 511, the mobile terminal determines whether operation with the external memory is possible using the information of the external memory acquired in step 509. That is, in step 511, the mobile terminal determines whether the external memory is valid using the information of the external memory.

If the determination result in step 511 is not valid, that is, if the mobile terminal and the external memory are incompatible, the operation proceeds to step 513. If the determination result in step 511 is valid, that is, if the mobile terminal and the external memory are compatible, the process proceeds to step 515.

Next, when the mobile terminal proceeds to step 513, it stops the booting and ends the series of booting procedures as described above. Next, when the mobile terminal proceeds to step 515, the mobile terminal loads an OS mounted in the external memory into a memory of the mobile terminal, for example, RAM, and then proceeds to step 517.

Next, when the OS is loaded in the RAM, the mobile terminal proceeds to step 517 and moves to the initial position where the OS operates. In operation 519, the operating system operates in operation 521, and reinitialization and application of the devices are performed.

As described above, in the detailed description of the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, various modifications are of course possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined not only by the claims below, but also by the equivalents of the claims.

As described above, according to the apparatus and method for driving a multi-operating system using a memory in the mobile terminal of the present invention proposed by the present invention, it is possible to provide various operating systems in one mobile terminal. In addition, the mobile terminal has the advantage of providing various OS functions and corresponding applications to the user through multi-OS booting.

In addition, by implementing an interface for interworking with the external memory of the mobile terminal as a common hardware platform has the advantage of reducing the development period. In addition, various OSs can be applied due to hardware commonization, and this has the advantage of expanding software sales. In addition, the memory consumption according to the use of the built-in memory of the mobile terminal to use only the minimum memory, it has the advantage that can increase the memory usage efficiency.

Claims (18)

An apparatus for driving a multi-operating system in a mobile terminal, A mobile terminal including an interface formed by a common hardware platform, connected to an external memory through the interface, and performing a multi-operating system booting corresponding to an operating system included in the connected external memory; An apparatus for driving a multiple operating system in a mobile terminal including an external memory connected through the interface provided at one side of the mobile terminal and providing an operating system included in the mobile terminal in association with the mobile terminal. The method of claim 1, The external memory may be multi-stored in a mobile terminal including at least one of a secure digital (SD) card, a smart media (SM) card, a multimedia card (MMC), a compact flash (CF) card, and a universal serial bus (USB) card. Operating system drive. The method of claim 1, The mobile terminal may include an interface unit provided in a slot form for connecting with the external memory. The method of claim 3, The interface unit is a multi-operating system driving apparatus in the mobile terminal, characterized in that formed as a common hardware platform (Hardware Platform) that can be commonly applied to all mobile terminals. The method of claim 1, And the mobile terminal performs a predetermined booting procedure in association with the external memory and provides a service and an application corresponding to the operating system mounted in the external memory. The method of claim 1, The mobile terminal An external memory interface unit which provides an interface for interworking with the external memory and transfers data mounted in the external memory and information of the external memory through the interface; A control unit for controlling the overall operation of the mobile terminal, and if the information of the external memory is delivered, determining whether to operate with the external memory using the information and determining whether to boot based on the result. Multi operating system driving device in the terminal. The method of claim 6, The external memory interface unit provides an interface for interworking with different external memories, and transfers data mounted in each external memory, device information and security information of the external memory to the controller. Multi-operating system driving device in a mobile terminal, characterized in that. The method of claim 6, The controller receives an operating system mounted in the external memory from the external memory interface and controls a path thereof. When the operating system included in the external memory is delivered, the controller transfers the operating system to a memory embedded in the mobile terminal. Multi-operating system driving device in a mobile terminal, characterized in that the load control. The method of claim 6, The mobile terminal includes a memory for storing an operating system and an application transferred from the external memory in accordance with the control of the control unit. The method of claim 9, And the memory includes program modules for controlling a general operation of the mobile terminal and program modules including an application for providing a multi-operating system using the external memory. The method of claim 10, The program module according to the multi-operating system may include a program module providing result information on a predetermined external memory input, a program module recognizing information on the external memory input, and a program module extracting information on the external memory input. And a program module for converting and managing the recognized information. In the method of driving a multi-operating system in a mobile terminal, The mobile terminal initializes a device in the mobile terminal when the system is reset. Acquiring external memory information after the device initialization and determining whether to operate with the external memory; If an operation with the external memory is possible, loading an operating system mounted in the external memory; And operating in response to an operating system of the external memory. The method of claim 12, The device initialization process includes initializing an interface driver for inserting an external memory. The method of claim 12, Stopping the booting of the mobile terminal if the operation with the external memory is not possible, as a result of determining whether the operation is possible. The method of claim 12, The external memory information includes data mounted in a predetermined external memory, device information and security information of the external memory. The method of claim 12, The operating system load may include loading an operating system mounted in a predetermined external memory into an internal memory in association with a predetermined interface. The method of claim 12, The external memory information acquisition process, Determining a predetermined external memory input; Recognizing information on the external memory input; Extracting information on the external memory input; A method of driving a multi-operating system in a mobile terminal comprising the step of converting and managing the recognized information. The method of claim 12, The mobile terminal includes an interface formed as a common hardware platform for all mobile terminals, and recognizes different types of external memories through the interface, respectively, and corresponds to each of different operating systems included in each external memory. A method of driving a multi-operating system in a mobile terminal, characterized in that to perform an operation.

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