JP6209491B2 - Communication equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device capable of processing data of a plurality of different communication methods.

For example, in a wireless communication module such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) / WLAN (Wireless LAN), a required communication method is different depending on restrictions of a host CPU mounted on a device in which the wireless communication module is incorporated and a system configuration.
Conventionally, communication modules corresponding to a plurality of different communication methods are individually designed and manufactured.

JP 2005-258494 A

However, as described above, when a different communication module is manufactured for each communication method, there is a problem that demand and supply do not match, and there are many cases where excess stock or out of stock often occurs.
By the way, in Patent Document 1, the host CPU attempts data communication of a plurality of methods, performs device initialization processing based on the results, selects a device suitable for estimated data communication, and performs processing. A system for performing is disclosed.

However, the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above does not switch the data communication interface but switches the processing of the host CPU. That is, the processing (function) itself of the host CPU differs depending on the data communication method.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a communication device that can cope with a plurality of different communication methods and can realize the same function when processing data of any communication method. There is to do.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a communication apparatus that can cope with a plurality of different communication methods and can save power.

  In order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art and achieve the above-described object, a communication device of the present invention is a communication device capable of processing data of a plurality of different communication methods, and has a plurality of different communication methods. A plurality of transmission / reception circuits that respectively transmit and receive signals; a common data processing unit that processes data in a predetermined common format independent of the communication method; data indicated by signals transmitted and received by each of the plurality of transmission / reception circuits; Based on the data converted by the common conversion means by the common conversion means, the transmission / reception circuit performs conversion processing between the data in the common format and the data received by the transmission / reception circuit. A communication method specifying means for specifying the communication method of the received signal, and data in the common format obtained by converting the data indicated by the signal of the specified communication method by the common conversion means The Select and a communication method selection means for providing to said common data processing unit.

  According to this configuration, a plurality of different communication methods can be transmitted / received by a plurality of transmission / reception circuits. Further, the processing in the common data processing means can be made the same regardless of which communication system is used for transmission / reception by the conversion processing in the common conversion means. Further, even when there is a possibility of performing communication using a plurality of different communication methods, it is possible to cope with one communication device. Thereby, it is not necessary to manufacture a different communication apparatus for every communication system, and it can avoid that it becomes an excess stock or out of stock.

Preferably, the communication method specifying means of the communication device of the present invention stops the operation of the transmission / reception circuit that transmits / receives a signal of a communication method other than the specified communication method.
According to this configuration, power consumption can be reduced by eliminating the power consumption due to the operation of the transmission / reception circuit corresponding to the communication system that does not actually perform transmission / reception.

Preferably, the communication device according to the present invention is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of transmission / reception circuits, and controls the transmission / reception circuit to exchange data between the transmission / reception circuit and the common conversion unit. It further has a control means.
According to this configuration, the operation of the transmission / reception circuit can be controlled by the circuit control means.

Preferably, the communication device of the present invention includes a plurality of the common conversion means corresponding to each of a plurality of transmission / reception circuits, and a plurality of circuit control means corresponding to each of the plurality of transmission / reception circuits, The method specifying unit stops the operations of the transmission / reception circuit that transmits / receives a signal of a communication method other than the specified communication method, the common conversion unit corresponding to the transmission / reception circuit, and the circuit control unit.
According to this configuration, it is possible to save power by eliminating the power consumption due to the operations of the transmission / reception circuit, the common conversion unit, and the circuit control unit corresponding to a communication system that does not actually perform transmission / reception.

Preferably, the circuit control unit of the communication apparatus of the present invention, the common conversion unit, said communication method specifying means, wherein the communication method selection means and said common data processing means is implemented in software. According to this configuration, the function conversion can be performed flexibly by realizing the common conversion unit, the communication mode specifying unit, the communication mode selection unit, and the common data processing unit with software.

Preferably, the communication device of the present invention further includes a wireless communication circuit that transmits data processed by the common data processing unit or receives data processed by the common data processing unit.
According to this configuration, a wireless communication function can be realized.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication apparatus that can cope with a plurality of different communication systems and can realize the same function when processing data of any communication system.
Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication device that can cope with a plurality of different communication methods and can save power.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a usage form of a communication device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the communication device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the communication device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart subsequent to FIG. 3 for explaining an operation example of the communication device shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart subsequent to FIG. 4 for explaining an operation example of the communication device.

Hereinafter, a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a usage pattern of the communication device 1 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the communication device 1 of the present embodiment realizes specific functions such as HF call and network communication, and is controlled by the host CPU 3.
In the present embodiment, the communication device 1 performs using a general-purpose communication method such as UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) / USB (Universal Serial Bus) / SDIO (Secure Digital Input / Output).
This general-purpose communication method may vary depending on the restrictions of the host CPU 3 and the system configuration, and is used by switching according to the request.
The communication device 1 is, for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) / WLAN module.

The communication device 1 can automatically detect the communication method with the host CPU 3.
The communication device 1 enables all communication methods that can be selected at the time of activation. Then, the communication method that first receives the data string in the decided format is specified as the communication method with the host CPU 3 thereafter. Further, after the communication method is specified, the communication device 1 invalidates the other communication method.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the communication device 1 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the communication device 1 includes, for example, a UART transmission / reception circuit 21, an SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23, a USB transmission / reception circuit 25, a UART circuit control block 31, an SDIO circuit control block 33, a USB circuit control block 35, and a common conversion block. 41, 43, 45, a communication system selection block 51, a common data processing block 53, a communication system identification block 55, and an RF circuit 57.

In FIG. 2, the UART transmission / reception circuit 21, the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23, the USB transmission / reception circuit 25, and the RF circuit 57 are realized by hardware.
Further, the UART circuit control block 31, the SDIO circuit control block 33, the USB circuit control block 35, the common conversion blocks 41, 43, and 45, the communication method selection block 51, the common data processing block 53, and the communication method identification block 55 are software, That is, it is realized by executing a program by a processing circuit such as a CPU.

The UART transmission / reception circuit 21 is hardware that performs an operation based on an electrical standard with respect to input / output of a UART signal to / from the host CPU 3. The UART transmission / reception circuit 21 stores data to be transmitted / received to / from the host CPU 3 in the UART transmission / reception register.
When the UART circuit control block 31 writes data to the UART transmission / reception register, the UART transmission / reception circuit 21 automatically transmits the data to the host CPU 3.

The SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23 is hardware that performs operations based on electrical standards for input / output of SDIO signals with the host CPU 3. The SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23 stores data to be transmitted / received to / from the host CPU 3 in the SDIO transmission / reception register.
When the SDIO circuit control block 33 writes data to the SDIO transmission / reception register, the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23 automatically transmits the data to the host CPU 3.

The USB transmission / reception circuit 25 is hardware that performs operations based on electrical standards for input / output of USB signals with the host CPU 3. The USB transmission / reception circuit 25 stores data to be transmitted / received to / from the host CPU 3 in a USB transmission / reception register.
When the USB circuit control block 35 writes data to the USB transmission / reception register, the USB transmission / reception circuit 25 automatically transmits the data to the host CPU 3.

  The UART circuit control block 31, the SDIO circuit control block 33, and the USB circuit control block 35 perform various processes for absorbing differences in data formats and communication specifications between communication methods. For example, processing is performed to absorb differences in handling transfer data and connection management processing.

The UART circuit control block 31 has a UART control block, a UART management block, and a dedicated I / F, and inputs / outputs data to / from the UART transmission / reception circuit 21 and the common conversion block 41. The UART circuit control block 31 initializes the UART transmission / reception circuit 21 and changes the status.
Since the UART method can transmit and receive only necessary data, the UART circuit control block 31 performs processing for that purpose.

The SDIO circuit control block 33 includes a UART control block, an SDIO management block, and a dedicated I / F, and inputs / outputs data to / from the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23 and the common conversion block 43. The SDIO circuit control block 33 initializes the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23, changes the status, and the like.
In the SDIO system, the host CPU 3 performs communication by selecting a communication method according to the contents of communication with the host CPU 3. The host CPU 3 selects either byte transfer or block transfer.

In the SDIO method, when block transfer is employed, the number of valid data is not known unless logical data is referred to, and therefore data indicating the data length is included in the header. The process of extracting valid data is performed by the common conversion block 43. In the SDIO system, the host CPU 3 accesses the SDIO transmission / reception register to exchange data. The SDIO system requires dummy data processing at the time of transmission / reception when block transfer is adopted. The SDIO circuit control block 33 converts the variable length data into fixed length data and performs a process of discarding the dummy data by performing a logical analysis of the received data.

The USB circuit control block 35 includes a USB control block, a USB management block, and a dedicated I / F, and inputs / outputs data between the USB transmission / reception circuit 25 and the common conversion block 45. The USB circuit control block 35 initializes the USB transmission / reception circuit 25, changes the status, and the like.
The USB transmission / reception circuit 25 periodically performs data communication. When data is stored in the USB transmission / reception register, it is transmitted in response to a request from the host CPU 3.

  In the UART circuit control block 31, the SDIO circuit control block 33, and the USB circuit control block 35, functions for transferring data to the communication method selection block 51 and the communication method identification block 55 are registered.

The common conversion block 41 performs data conversion between the data format handled by the UART circuit control block 31 and the data in the common format handled by the common data processing block 53.
The common format data handled by the common data processing block 53 has, for example, a data structure (data format) including an operation code (OPECODE), a data length (DATA LENGTH), and data (DATA).
The operation code has a fixed length of 2 bytes, the data length has a fixed length of 2 bytes, and the data has a variable length.

The opcode indicates one command among the three commands of initialization, operation start, and operation stop.
The SDIO method requires a connection procedure with the host CPU 3, and if the connection is not requested at the time of reception request, state conversion such as no received data is necessary, and corresponding conversion processing is performed by the common conversion block 41. That is, in the common conversion block 41, conversion processing is performed so that the internal processing side has logically the same communication data and procedure. The common conversion block 41 defines a function for transferring data between the communication method selection block 51 and the communication method identification block 55.

  The common conversion block 43 performs data conversion between the data format handled by the SDIO circuit control block 33 and the common format data handled by the common data processing block 53. The common conversion block 43 is the same as the common conversion block 41 described above except that processing is performed with the SDIO circuit control block 33.

  The common conversion block 45 performs data conversion between the data format handled by the USB circuit control block 35 and the data in the common format handled by the common data processing block 53. The common conversion block 45 is the same as the common conversion block 41 described above except that processing is performed with the USB circuit control block 35.

The communication method selection block 51 selects data from the common conversion blocks 41, 43, 45 corresponding to the communication method specified (selected) by the communication establishment detection block 55 and outputs the data to the common data processing block 53.
At this time, the communication method selection block 51 outputs data from one common conversion block 41, 43, 45 to the common data processing block 53.
The communication method selection block 51 outputs the data from the common data processing block 53 to the common conversion blocks 41, 43, 45 corresponding to the communication method selected by the communication establishment detection block 55.
The common data processing block 53 performs predetermined processing based on the data independent of the communication method input from the communication method selection block 51, and outputs this to the RF circuit 57. The common data processing block 53 processes the data input from the RF circuit 57 and outputs it to the communication method selection block 51.

Based on the data from the common conversion block 41, the communication method specifying block 55 specifies whether or not the UART transmission / reception circuit 21 has received data having a predetermined authentication code length.
When the communication method specifying block 55 determines that the UART transmission / reception circuit 21 has received data having a predetermined authentication code length, the communication method specifying block 55 determines whether or not the data matches a predetermined authentication code. To select the UART method, and outputs a communication method specification notification to the communication method selection block 51.

Based on the data from the common conversion block 43, the communication method specifying block 55 specifies whether or not the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23 has received data having a predetermined authentication code length.
When the communication method specifying block 55 determines that the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23 has received data having a predetermined authentication code length, it determines whether or not the data matches a predetermined authentication code. To select the SDIO method, and outputs a communication method specification notification to the communication method selection block 51.

Based on the data from the common conversion block 45, the communication method specifying block 55 specifies whether or not the USB transmission / reception circuit 25 has received data having a predetermined authentication code length.
When the communication method specifying block 55 determines that the USB transmission / reception circuit 25 has received data having a predetermined authentication code length, the communication method specifying block 55 determines whether or not the data matches a predetermined authentication code. To select the USB method, and outputs a communication method specification notification to the communication method selection block 51.

The communication system specifying block 55 is a common conversion block 41, 43, 45, UART circuit control block 31, SDIO circuit control block 33, USB circuit control block 35, UART transmission / reception circuit 21, SDIO transmission / reception corresponding to a communication system not selected. Control to switch the circuit 23 and the USB transmission / reception circuit 25 to the non-operating state is performed.

  The RF circuit 57 transmits the data generated by the common data processing block 53 by wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) / WLAN. Further, the RF circuit 57 receives the data processed by the common data processing block 53 by the wireless communication.

Hereinafter, an operation example of the communication device 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the communication device 1.
Step ST1:
Turn on the power of the communication device 1.

Step ST2:
The communication device 1 initializes each component.

Step ST3:
The operation of the UART transmission / reception circuit 21 is started.
When the UART transmission / reception circuit 21 receives a UART signal from the host CPU 3, the UART transmission / reception circuit 21 performs a process based on the electrical standard for the signal and writes the data obtained by the process into a predetermined UART transmission / reception register.
The UART circuit control block 31 and the common conversion block 41 read data from the UART transmission / reception register, perform various processes for absorbing the difference in data format and communication specification between communication methods, and obtain the result as a predetermined value. Write to the UART register. For example, processing is performed to absorb differences in handling transfer data and connection management processing.

Step ST4:
The operation of the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23 is started.
When the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23 receives an SIDO signal from the host CPU 3, the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23 performs a process based on the electrical standard for the signal and writes the data obtained by the process into the SDIO transmission / reception register.
The SDIO circuit control block 33 and the common conversion block 43 read data from the SDIO transmission / reception register, perform various processes for absorbing differences in data formats and communication specifications between communication methods, and obtain the results as predetermined values. Write to the SDIO register.

Step ST5:
The operation of the USB transmission / reception circuit 25 is started.
When the USB transmission / reception circuit 25 receives a USB signal from the host CPU 3, the USB transmission / reception circuit 25 performs a process based on the electrical standard for the signal and writes data obtained by the process in the USB transmission / reception register.
The USB circuit control block 35 and the common conversion block 45 read data from the USB transmission / reception register, perform various processes to absorb the difference in data format and communication specification between communication methods, Write to USB register.

Step ST6:
The communication method specifying block 55 refers to the UART register, determines whether or not the authentication code length data is stored in the UART register (whether or not the authentication code length data has been received), and makes a positive determination. If YES in step ST7, the process advances to step ST10.

Step ST7:
The communication method specifying block 55 determines whether or not the data stored in the UART register matches a predetermined authentication code. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step ST8. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step ST10.

Step ST8:
The communication method specifying block 55 determines to select the UART method, and outputs a communication method specifying notification to the communication method selecting block 51.
As a result, the communication method selection block 51 selects the data from the common conversion block 41 and outputs it to the common data processing block 53.

Step ST9:
The communication system specifying block 55 performs control to switch the common conversion blocks 43 and 45, the SDIO circuit control block 33, the USB circuit control block 35, the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23, and the USB transmission / reception circuit 25 to the non-operational state. The UART transmission / reception circuit 21, the UART circuit control block 31, the common conversion block 41, the communication method selection block 51, the common data processing block 53, the communication method identification block 55, and the RF circuit 57 are continuously in an operating state.

Step ST10:
The communication method identification block 55 refers to the SDIO register, determines whether or not the authentication code length data is stored in the SDIO register (whether or not the authentication code length data is received), and determines the positive determination. If so, the process proceeds to step ST11. If a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step ST14.

Step ST11:
The communication method specifying block 55 determines whether or not the data stored in the SDIO register matches a predetermined authentication code. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step ST12. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step ST14.

Step ST12:
The communication system identification block 55 determines to select the SDIO system and outputs a communication system identification notification to the communication system selection block 51.
As a result, the communication method selection block 51 selects the data from the common conversion block 43 and outputs it to the common data processing block 53.

Step ST13:
The communication method specifying block 55 performs control to switch the common conversion blocks 41 and 45, the UART circuit control block 31, the USB circuit control block 35, the UART transmission / reception circuit 21 and the USB transmission / reception circuit 25 to the non-operational state. The SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23, the SDIO circuit control block 33, the common conversion block 43, the communication method selection block 51, the common data processing block 53, the communication method identification block 55, and the RF circuit 57 are continuously operated.

Step ST14:
The communication method specifying block 55 refers to the USB register, determines whether or not the authentication code length data is stored in the USB register (whether or not the authentication code length data has been received), and determines the positive determination. If YES, the process proceeds to step ST15. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step ST6.

Step ST15:
The communication method specifying block 55 determines whether or not the data stored in the USB register matches a predetermined authentication code. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step ST16. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step ST6.

Step ST16:
The communication method specifying block 55 determines to select the USB method, and outputs a communication method specifying notification to the communication method selecting block 51.
As a result, the communication method selection block 51 selects the data from the common conversion block 45 and outputs it to the common data processing block 53.

Step ST17:
The communication system specifying block 55 performs control to switch the common conversion blocks 41 and 43, the UART circuit control block 31, the SDIO circuit control block 33, the UART transmission / reception circuit 21 and the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23 to the non-operating state. The USB transmission / reception circuit 25, the USB circuit control block 35, the common conversion block 45, the communication method selection block 51, the common data processing block 53, the communication method identification block 55, and the RF circuit 57 are continuously operated.

Step ST18:
The communication method specifying block 55 outputs a communication method specifying notification to the common data processing block 53.
Thus, the common data processing block 53 processes the data of the selected communication method input from the communication method selection block 51. Here, as described above, the processing in the common data processing block 53 does not depend on the communication method.

Step ST19:
The communication method identification block 55 transmits an authentication confirmation code to the host CPU 3 via the communication method selection block 51. The authentication confirmation code is 4-byte data of all 0s.
At this time, the UART transmission / reception circuit 21, the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23, the UART circuit control block 31, the SDIO circuit control block 33, the USB circuit control block 35, and the common conversion blocks 41, 43, and 45 correspond to the selected communication method. A communication method specification notification is transmitted to the host CPU 3 via the circuit and the block.

Step ST20:
Data communication is performed between the host CPU 3 and the common data processing block 53. In the communication, the authentication code is used as a security key for protecting the connection.
The data generated by the common data processing block 53 is transmitted via the RF circuit 57 in a wireless manner. The common data processing block 53 performs processing using data received by the RF circuit 57 in a wireless manner.

  As described above, according to the communication device 1, even when there is a possibility that the communication device 1 communicates with the host CPUs 3 of different communication methods, it is possible to cope with one device. Thereby, it is not necessary to manufacture the communication apparatus 1 which differs for every communication system, and it can avoid that it becomes an excess stock or out of stock.

  According to the communication device 1, data of a plurality of different communication methods can be processed. Even when data of any communication method is processed by the common data processing block 53, the same processing is performed and the same function is performed. realizable.

  According to the communication device 1, the processing in the common data processing block 53 is the same even when the host CPU 3 adopting any of the plurality of communication methods is used after shipment. The same test can be performed on the common data processing block 53 of the same.

  According to the communication device 1, the selected communication among the common conversion blocks 43 and 45, the UART circuit control block 31, the SDIO circuit control block 33, the USB circuit control block 35, the UART transmission / reception circuit 21, the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23, and the USB transmission / reception circuit 25. Blocks and circuits corresponding to the system are set in an operating state, and blocks and circuits corresponding to a communication mode not selected are set in a non-operating state. As a result, unnecessary circuit and block operations can be stopped to save power.

  Further, according to the communication device 1, the UART circuit control block 31, the SDIO circuit control block 33, the USB circuit control block 35, the common conversion blocks 41, 43, and 45, the communication method selection block 51, the common data processing block 53, and the communication method. By realizing the specific block 55 by software, it is possible to flexibly cope with a function change or the like.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.
That is, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, combinations, subcombinations, and alternatives regarding the components of the above-described embodiments within the technical scope of the present invention or an equivalent scope thereof.

In the above-described embodiment, UART, USB, and SDIO are exemplified as a plurality of different communication methods. However, these are examples, and are not particularly limited as long as they are a plurality of different communication methods.
In the above-described embodiment, the UART transmission / reception circuit 21, the SDIO transmission / reception circuit 23, the UART circuit control block 31, the SDIO circuit control block 33, the USB circuit control block 35, the common conversion blocks 41, 43, 45, and the communication method selection block 51. Although the case where the common data processing block 53 and the communication method specifying block 55 are realized by software is illustrated, at least a part of them may be realized by hardware.

  The present invention relates to a communication device that can process data of a plurality of different communication methods.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Communication apparatus, 3 ... Host CPU, 21 ... UART transmission / reception circuit, 23 ... SDIO transmission / reception circuit, 25 ... USB transmission / reception circuit, 31 ... UART circuit control block, 33 ... SDIO circuit control block, 35 ... USB circuit control block, 41 , 43, 45 ... common conversion block, 51 ... communication method selection block, 53 ... common data processing block, 55 ... communication method specifying block, 57 ... RF circuit

Claims (6)

A communication device capable of processing data of a plurality of different communication methods,
A plurality of transmission / reception circuits that respectively transmit and receive signals of a plurality of different communication methods;
Common data processing means for processing data in a predetermined common format independent of the communication method;
Common conversion means for performing conversion processing between data indicated by signals transmitted and received by each of the plurality of transmission / reception circuits and data in the common format;
A communication method specifying means for specifying a communication method of a signal received by the transmission / reception circuit, based on data obtained by converting the data indicated by the signal received by the transmission / reception circuit into the common format by the common conversion means;
A communication apparatus comprising: a communication method selection unit that selects the common format data obtained by converting the data indicated by the signal of the specified communication method by the common conversion unit and provides the data to the common data processing unit. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication method specifying unit stops the operation of the transmission / reception circuit that transmits and receives a signal of a communication method other than the specified communication method. The circuit control means which is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of transmission / reception circuits, controls the transmission / reception circuits, and exchanges data between the transmission / reception circuits and the common conversion means. 2. The communication device according to 2. A plurality of the common conversion means corresponding to each of a plurality of transmission / reception circuits;
A plurality of circuit control means corresponding to each of a plurality of transmission / reception circuits;
The said communication system specific | specification means stops the operation | movement of the said transmission / reception circuit which transmits / receives the signal of communication systems other than the specified communication system, the said common conversion means corresponding to the said transmission / reception circuit, and the said circuit control means. Communication equipment. The circuit control unit, the common conversion unit, said communication method specifying means, wherein the communication method selection means and said common data processing means, communication device according to claim 3 or claim 4 is implemented in software. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a wireless communication circuit that transmits data processed by the common data processing unit or receives data processed by the common data processing unit.