JP6435544B2 - Integrated circuit device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an integrated circuit device in which a plurality of interface controllers are integrated.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-33095 describes simplifying connection of a control system in an image forming apparatus and reducing power consumption. In Patent Document 1, the multi-function copier is a main controller that controls the operation of the entire multi-function copier, a scan controller that controls the operation of the scanner under the control of the main controller, and a print under the control of the main controller. A print controller that controls the operation of the engine and a UI controller that controls the operation of the touch panel display under the control of the main controller. Then, the scan controller, the main controller, the UI controller, and the printer controller are daisy chain-connected in this order using a Thunderbolt (registered trademark) interface (controller and cable).

JP 2014-27628

  In a system such as a multi-function copying machine (MFP) in which a plurality of functions are linked to perform processing, the main controller needs to control each controller in a coordinated manner. For this purpose, a processor or microcomputer having a high performance and a high processing speed is used as a main controller, and the main controller and each controller are connected by a high-speed and wide-band bus.

  One embodiment of the present invention is an integrated circuit device including a plurality of interface controllers that respectively control data transfer between an external main controller and a plurality of devices. Each of the plurality of interface controllers includes at least one register, and the integrated circuit device further detects an event and an internal memory in which setting values set in a register group including at least one register of the plurality of interface controllers are stored. A register controller that updates a register value associated with the detected event in the register group to a setting value associated with the detected event, and the register controller sets the setting value to each register of the register group. And a dedicated bus for supplying in parallel.

  This integrated circuit device is called a one-chip integrated circuit device, such as an LSI or an ASIC, which is installed between a main controller that controls the entire device and a plurality of devices in a multifunctional device. Is. In the case of a multifunction printer (MFP), the integrated circuit device is arranged between the main controller and a plurality of devices such as a scanner, a printer, and a display, and controls data transfer between them.

  One process when the main controller performs coordinated control of a plurality of devices is to update setting values of a plurality of registers required for controlling the plurality of devices. In this integrated circuit device, the register controller in the integrated circuit device updates the set value of each register of the register group. Therefore, it is possible to omit processing and processing time required for cooperative control by the main controller. For this reason, the processing capability of the main controller can be used for other controls, or the main controller can be realized by a general-purpose microcomputer having a relatively low processing capability.

  Furthermore, since the register controller and the register group can be arranged in the integrated circuit made into one chip, the register controller and each register of the register group can be connected in parallel by a dedicated bus. Therefore, register values necessary for cooperative control can be updated synchronously in several clock cycles. Therefore, the speed of processing involving a plurality of devices can be improved. In addition, since it is possible to omit a broadband bus that connects the main controller and the controller of each device, it is possible to provide an apparatus with low cost and high processing speed.

  The register controller preferably includes a function of loading a set value set in the register group from the external memory to the internal memory at the time of reset. The processing time required for updating the set value of the register group can be further shortened.

The integrated circuit device includes a main interface controller that inputs and outputs data to and from the main controller, and an internal bus that connects the main interface controller and the plurality of interface controllers, each of the plurality of interface controllers corresponding to at least one register. A selector circuit for switching access between an internal bus and a dedicated bus is included . The main controller can access each register, and the main controller can update the value of each register or refer to it for debugging.

  The integrated circuit device may include a timer that periodically generates an event and supplies the event to the register controller. The integrated circuit device may include a first unit that generates an event according to a trigger signal from an external device and supplies the event to the register controller. The integrated circuit device may include a second unit that generates an event based on the measurement value of the external sensor and supplies the event to the register controller. The register controller may include a function of recognizing an update command from the main controller as an event. The register controller may include a function of notifying the main controller of the update when the value of the register associated with the detected event is updated.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a control board having the above integrated circuit device and a main controller. Another aspect of the present invention is an apparatus (system) having a control board and a plurality of devices. One form of the apparatus is a multifunction printer (MFP) including a scanner and a printer as a plurality of devices. The MFP includes one having an automatic document feeder that supplies a document to a scanner.

Another different aspect is a method for controlling an integrated circuit device having a plurality of interface controllers that respectively control data transfer between an external main controller and a plurality of devices. Each of the plurality of interface controllers includes at least one register, and the integrated circuit device further includes an internal memory in which setting values to be set in a register group including at least one register of the plurality of interface controllers are stored, and each of the register groups It includes a register controller connected to each register by a dedicated bus that supplies setting values to the registers in parallel.

  When the register controller detects an event, the control method updates the value of the register associated with the detected event in the register group to the set value associated with the event detected via the dedicated bus. Including the steps of:

  The control method may further include a step of loading a set value set in the register group from the external memory to the internal memory when the register controller detects reset.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an MFP. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer IF controller. The flowchart which shows the outline | summary of a process of a device controller.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a multi-function printer (multi-function printer, multi-function printer, MFP). The MFP 1 includes a general-purpose microcomputer 3 that is a main controller that performs overall control of the MFP 1, a scanner mechanism (scanner mechanism) 5 that inputs data from a document, a printer mechanism (printer mechanism) 6 that outputs data, and an LCD. A plurality of devices including an operation panel 7 including a display function, a document feeder (ADF) 8 for automatically feeding a document to the scanner mechanism 5, a general-purpose microcomputer 3, a scanner mechanism 5, a printer mechanism 6, and a panel 7. And a device controller 10 having a plurality of interface controllers that respectively control the transfer of data to and from the device.

  The device controller 10 is a semiconductor integrated circuit device (semiconductor integrated circuit) called a one-chip LSI or ASIC equipped with a plurality of circuits. The device controller 10 and the general-purpose microcomputer 3 are mounted (mounted) on the control board 50 and connected by an external bus 51. The control board 50 includes a program storage area and a work area of the general-purpose microcomputer 3, a nonvolatile memory (ROM) 53 including an area for storing set value information 52 of a register group, which will be described later, and scan data and data being processed. A DRAM 58 or the like serving as a buffer is mounted. The ROM 53 is connected to the external bus 51. The DRAM 58 is connected so as to function as a buffer of the device controller 10.

  The device controller 10 includes a microcomputer bus interface controller (microcomputer bus IF controller) 11 that processes data exchange with the general-purpose microcomputer 3 via the external bus 51, and a scanner interface controller (scanner IF controller) that acquires data from the scanner mechanism 5. ) 12, a printer interface controller (printer IF controller) 13 for outputting data to the printer mechanism 6, a panel interface controller (panel IF controller) 14 for controlling input / output of data between the operation panel 7, a DRAM 58, DRAM IF controller 15 for controlling the input / output of data between them, external IF controller 16 for supporting the function as a general-purpose external IF, and IF controllers 12-1 A register controller 20 for controlling the setting of the register, and an internal bus 17 for connecting these.

  These IF controllers 12 to 16 include a register group 31 that controls processing in each IF controller 12 to 16 and is referred to during processing. The register group 31 of each IF controller 12 to 16 includes at least one register. Further, each IF controller 12 to 16 includes a selector unit 32 that controls access to the register group 31. The device controller 10 includes a dedicated bus 29 for connecting the register controller 20 and each register of the register group 31 in parallel, and the selector unit 32 provides access to each register of the register group 31 to the dedicated bus 29 and the internal bus 17. Includes the ability to switch.

  The device controller 10 may further include one or a plurality of processing units 19 that perform processing for closing inside the device controller 10 such as image processing. The processing unit 19 also includes a register group 31 and a selector unit 32, and the register controller 20 updates the set value of each register of the register group 31.

  The device controller 10 further includes several units that generate an event 61 and supply it to the register controller 20. The timer 41 generates an event when a preset time has elapsed from the previous event 61, and supplies the signal (event signal) 61 to the register controller 20 via the dedicated line 45. The event signal 61 may be supplied via the internal bus 17. The event may be supplied to the register controller 20 as an interrupt signal. The same applies to the following.

  The ADC (analog / digital converter) 42 evaluates the measurement value from the external sensor 49, generates an event when it reaches a preset range or threshold value, and supplies the event to the register controller 20 via the dedicated line 45.

  When the interrupt controller 43 detects an interrupt signal or an external trigger signal from an external device, it generates an event and supplies the signal 61 to the register controller 20. An example of the external device is the ADF 8. When a paper detection interrupt signal is acquired from the ADF 8, an event is generated and supplied to the register controller 20.

  The device controller 10 further includes a status register 46 that stores the occurrence of these events 61. The register controller 20 can determine the content to be processed next from the event history stored in the status register 46.

  The register controller 20 includes an event recognition unit 22 that determines the type of the supplied event, and a register setting value update unit (update unit) 24 that updates the value of a predetermined register in the register group 31 via the dedicated bus 29. Including. When the event recognition unit 22 detects an event, the update unit 24 triggers the update unit 24 to send a register value (setting value) 65 associated with the detected event in the register group 31 via the dedicated bus 29. , And update the setting value associated with the detected event. The event recognition unit 22 has a function 22a for recognizing a register update command from the microcomputer 3 as an event for updating the register group 31 of the device controller 10, in addition to a function for recognizing an event generated inside the device controller 10. Including.

  When the register controller 20 further detects an internal memory (SRAM) 25 for storing register setting value information and a reset (power-on, initialization), the register setting value information stored in the external memory (ROM) 53 And a load unit 21 for downloading 52 to the SRAM 25. In addition to the function of loading the setting value information 52 as an initial setting, the load unit 21 uses the setting command 52 stored in the ROM 53 by a load command from the microcomputer 3 and then the setting required for updating the register group 31. A function for loading the value information 52 into the SRAM 25 is included. The update unit 24 supplies a predetermined set value 65 included in the set value information 52 loaded in the SRAM 25 to each register of the register group 31 associated with the event in parallel with the occurrence of the event as a trigger. Update.

  The register controller 20 further includes a feedback unit 23 that supplies an updated signal 67 to the general-purpose microcomputer 3 when the register is updated by supplying a set value 65 to the register when an event occurs. The updated signal 67 is supplied from the device controller 10 to the general-purpose microcomputer 3 as an interrupt signal.

  FIG. 2 shows a more detailed configuration of the printer IF controller 13 as an example of the IF controller. The printer IF controller 13 includes a processing circuit (processing unit) 13 a that generates data for printing and outputs it to the printer mechanism 6, and a bus controller 13 b that controls data transfer via the internal bus 17. The processing circuit 13 a includes a register group 31.

  Access to the plurality of registers 33 included in the register group 31 is switched between the dedicated bus 29 and the internal bus 17 by the selector unit 32. The bus controller 13 b controls the selector unit 32 by a command supplied from the internal bus 17, and switches access to the register 33 between the dedicated bus 29 and the internal bus 17 in units of the register group 31 or in units of the register 33. . For example, in the debug mode where processing may take time, the general-purpose microcomputer 3 can control and monitor the internal state of the register 33 by switching the access to the register 33 to the internal bus 17.

  In the normal processing mode, the register controller 20 updates the register 33 by switching the access to the register 33 to the dedicated bus 29, and the load on the general-purpose microcomputer 3 can be reduced. At the same time, since the plurality of registers 33 can be updated in parallel within the device controller 10 using the dedicated bus 29, the time required for updating the registers 33 can be greatly reduced, and each device connected to the device controller 10 can be reduced. The processing time by 5-7 can be shortened. Further, when the devices 5 to 7 perform processing in a coordinated manner, it is not necessary to wait for the registers of the IF controllers 12 to 14 to be sequentially updated, and the waiting time of the devices 5 to 7 can be shortened. For this reason, the operation speed of the MFP 1 can be improved.

  For example, the processing circuit 13a of the printer IF controller 13 includes a register 33 that stores data rotation angle parameters (90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees) and data trimming parameters (margin insertion and margin deletion). When performing imposition printing or duplex printing, it is necessary to update the parameters of these registers 33 for each scan data. In the device controller 10, for example, when an event occurs due to a paper detection interrupt signal from the ADF 8, and the register controller 20 detects the event, the register controller 20 updates the plurality of registers 33 of the printer IF controller 13 in parallel, and the processing circuit 13a. The process in is started. At the same time, updated information 67 is supplied to the general-purpose microcomputer 3, and the general-purpose microcomputer 3 starts the printer mechanism 6. The processing circuit 13a corrects the data input from the scan IF controller 12, performs format conversion (CMYK conversion), rotates the data, and further performs trimming to generate data to be printed out. The processing circuit 13a sends the generated data to the printer mechanism 6, and the printer mechanism 6 starts printing.

  In parallel with the process of updating the register 33 of the printer IF controller 13, the register controller 20 also updates the register 33 of the scanner IF controller 12 and the panel IF controller 14. The scanner IF controller 12 starts the reading process with the set value of the register 33 updated by the paper detection. The panel IF controller 14 updates the display of the panel 7 by updating the number of read pages set in the register 33, for example.

  In the MFP 1, the process of updating these registers 33 and the subsequent process are autonomously started in the device controller 10 by the occurrence of an event. Therefore, the load on the general-purpose microcomputer 3 that is the main controller can be reduced. Further, a dedicated bus 29 for accessing the plurality of registers 33 in parallel is provided inside the one-chip device controller 10, and the register controller 20 autonomously updates the plurality of registers 33 via the dedicated bus 29. . For this reason, the processing time required for updating the plurality of registers 33 can be reduced to about several clocks, and the operations of the scanner mechanism 5, the printer mechanism 6, and the panel 7 connected to the device controller 10 can be performed more smoothly and with less delay. Can be controlled by the state.

  In the MFP 1, when performing continuous scanning by an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 8, it is necessary to prepare for the next scan from the end of the previous scan to the start of the next scan (between sheets). This preparation includes updating the registers 33 such as the scanner IF controller 12 and the printer IF controller 13. In the conventional MFP, it takes time to update the enormous register of the MFP controller, and it is necessary to wait for the next scan until the register update is completed, so the copy performance (sheets / minute) of the MFP decreases. There was a problem that.

  In the MFP 1, not the software-side general-purpose microcomputer 3 but the hardware-side device controller 10 autonomously resets the register 33 at high speed. For this reason, in the MFP 1, the processing time between sheets is significantly reduced, and the problem that the copy performance is degraded can be solved.

  FIG. 3 shows processing executed in the device controller 10 with a focus on register updating. In the device controller 10, the register controller 20 includes a function as a main processor or a sequencer that controls the entire processing of the device controller 10. The following processing centering on register updating may be controlled by hardware or may be controlled by software such as a microprogram.

  First, when the device controller 10 is reset due to power-on or the like, in step 71, the device controller 10 is initialized. At this time, the load unit 21 of the register controller 20 loads the register setting value information 52 for the appropriate number of patterns required after initialization from the external ROM 53 into the internal SRAM 25.

  After the initial setting, when the load unit 21 recognizes the load command from the microcomputer 3 in step 72, the register setting value information 52 to be set in the register group 31 of the device controller 10 in step 73 is received from the external ROM 53 as a trigger. The data is loaded into the SRAM 25. The register set value information 52 may be stored in the external ROM 53, or may be downloaded from the cloud by the microcomputer 3 accessing the network or the like at an appropriate timing.

  After the initial setting, when the event recognition unit 22 recognizes an update command from the microcomputer 3 in step 74, in step 78, the update unit 24 uses the trigger as a trigger for the register 33 of the predetermined register group 31 in the device controller 10. Update the setting value. In step 79, the feedback unit 23 feeds back the register update to the general-purpose microcomputer 3. In step 80, each IF controller 12-16 of the device controller 10 starts processing with reference to the register group 31 in which the set value has been updated.

  While the process is being executed, an event generated by the timer 41 at a constant cycle is generated in step 75, an event is generated by the ADC 42 in step 76 due to a change in the sensor value, or the interrupt controller 43 generates an external interrupt (external) in step 77. When an event is generated by detecting a trigger signal), the event recognition unit 22 of the register controller 20 recognizes each event, and the update unit 24 uses all of the registers 31 or events of the device controller (ASIC) 10 as a trigger. The register group 31 associated with is automatically updated simultaneously by hardware.

  In step 79, after the register update is completed, an interrupt is output to the general-purpose microcomputer 3 side. The updated contents, for example, the type of the event that has become the update trigger, the register setting pattern number, and the like are stored in the status register 46 in the device controller 10. Upon receiving the interrupt, the microcomputer 3 executes or restarts the next job, for example, scanning by the ADF 8.

  An example of an event generated by the internal timer 41 at a constant cycle is a case where a problem occurs only by a paper sensor interrupt during an ADF scan. Even if the register group 31 is updated by using the internal timer 41, a problem occurs. It is possible to suppress a decrease in scan speed by triggering at the fastest timing and not updating the register group 31. If a problem occurs in the interrupt response, the target performance of continuous printing may not be achieved due to the delay in the start of the next scan. However, the problem can be solved by generating an event periodically by the internal timer 41, and the ADF 8 It is possible to make the scanning operation fastest.

  An example of the sensor 49 is a temperature sensor and / or a humidity sensor. Depending on the type of printer, changes in temperature and humidity may affect the printed image quality. Therefore, the ADC 42 generates an event when the temperature or humidity fluctuates to reach a threshold value or when a predetermined range is reached. In response to the event, the register controller 20 automatically updates the set value of the register group 31 of the processing unit 19 that performs image processing, and finely adjusts the density of the print result.

  An example of an event generated by the interrupt controller 43 is a paper detection interrupt from the ADF 8, which has been described above. The device controller 10 includes a DRAM IF controller 15, and can use the DRAM 58 as a buffer for scan data or as a buffer for the image processing unit 19. For example, while the scan data once stored in the DRAM 58 is processed by each module 19, the data is finally transferred to the printer IF controller 13 and the panel IF controller 14 and output to the printer mechanism 6 and the panel 7. The DRAMIF controller 15 includes a function as an internal DMAC that controls transfer processing. Since the data storage address differs for each scan data, the register controller 20 recognizes an interrupt signal from the ADF 8 or a transfer end signal (not shown) from the DRAMIF controller 15 or the processing unit 19 as an event, The set value of the register 33 of the register group 31 is automatically updated.

  As described above, the device controller 10 of this example includes a configuration in which all the registers 33 can be updated at the same timing, and all the registers 33 can be updated in a time of several clocks. Therefore, the hardware of the device controller 10 autonomously performs the processing (several hundred milliseconds to several seconds) in which the general-purpose microcomputer 3 sequentially updates each register 33, so that the time corresponding to several clocks (several micro to several seconds). 10 microseconds). As a result, the register value update processing, which has been a heavy load, can be greatly speeded up, and the performance of products including the device controller 10 can be improved. In the MFP 1, the set value of the register is autonomously updated within a few clocks within the device controller 10 by detecting the interval between continuously scanned sheets by the sheet detection sensor of the ADF 8. Therefore, the necessity for adjusting the processing speed of continuous scanning for software processing is reduced, and it becomes easy to improve the scanning speed.

  In the above description, a system using a general-purpose microcomputer as the main controller is described as an example. However, the main controller may be an ASIC, or a CPU or MPU. Since the device controller 10 itself can update the set value of the register in the device controller 10, the processing load on the main controller 3 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to provide a multifunctional device such as an MFP that employs the low-cost general-purpose microcomputer 3 and has a sufficient processing speed without preparing a high-speed bus.

  In the above description, the MFP is described as an example of an apparatus that employs the device controller 10. However, the present invention can also be applied to other apparatuses or systems that control a large number of devices. For example, the present invention can be applied to a POS provided with a number of printers and display devices, and a control system such as an automobile or a robot.

1 MFP, 3 general-purpose microcomputer, 10 device controller, 20 register controller

Claims (11)

An integrated circuit device having a plurality of interface controllers that respectively control transfer of data between an external main controller and a plurality of devices,
Each of the plurality of interface controllers includes at least one register;
An internal memory storing a setting value to be set in a register group including the at least one register of the plurality of interface controllers;
Detecting an event, a register controller that updates a value of a register associated with the detected event in the group of registers to a setting value associated with the detected event;
A dedicated bus for supplying a set value to each register of the register group in parallel by the register controller ;
A main interface controller for inputting / outputting data to / from the main controller;
An internal bus connecting the main interface controller and the plurality of interface controllers;
Each of the plurality of interface controllers includes an selector circuit that switches access to the at least one register between the internal bus and the dedicated bus . An integrated circuit device having a plurality of interface controllers that respectively control transfer of data between an external main controller and a plurality of devices,
Each of the plurality of interface controllers includes at least one register;
An internal memory storing a setting value to be set in a register group including the at least one register of the plurality of interface controllers;
Detecting an event, a register controller that updates a value of a register associated with the detected event in the group of registers to a setting value associated with the detected event;
The register controller further comprises a dedicated bus for supplying a set value to each register of the register group in parallel;
The register controller is an integrated circuit device including a function of recognizing an update command from the main controller as an event. An integrated circuit device having a plurality of interface controllers that respectively control transfer of data between an external main controller and a plurality of devices,
Each of the plurality of interface controllers includes at least one register;
An internal memory storing a setting value to be set in a register group including the at least one register of the plurality of interface controllers;
Detecting an event, a register controller that updates a value of a register associated with the detected event in the group of registers to a setting value associated with the detected event;
The register controller further comprises a dedicated bus for supplying a set value to each register of the register group in parallel;
The integrated circuit device, wherein the register controller includes a function of notifying the main controller of an update when updating a value of a register associated with the detected event. In any of claims 1 to 3 ,
The register controller includes a function of loading a set value set in the register group from an external memory to the internal memory at the time of resetting. In any of claims 1 to 4 ,
An integrated circuit device further comprising a timer that periodically generates an event and supplies the event to the register controller. In any of claims 1 to 5 ,
An integrated circuit device further comprising a first unit that generates an event according to a trigger signal from an external device and supplies the event to the register controller. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6 .
An integrated circuit device further comprising a second unit that generates an event based on a measurement value of an external sensor and supplies the event to the register controller. An integrated circuit device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
A control board having the main controller. A control board according to claim 8 ;
An apparatus comprising the plurality of devices. In claim 9 ,
The plurality of devices include a scanner and a printer,
Further, an apparatus having an automatic document feeder for supplying a document to the scanner. An apparatus having an integrated circuit device having a plurality of interface controllers that respectively control transfer of data between an external main controller and a plurality of devices,
Each of the plurality of interface controllers includes at least one register;
The integrated circuit device includes:
An internal memory storing a setting value to be set in a register group including the at least one register of the plurality of interface controllers;
Detecting an event, a register controller that updates a value of a register associated with the detected event in the group of registers to a setting value associated with the detected event;
The register controller further includes a dedicated bus for supplying a set value to each register of the register group in parallel;
A control board having the integrated circuit device and the main controller;
A plurality of devices,
The plurality of devices include a scanner and a printer,
Further, an apparatus having an automatic document feeder for supplying a document to the scanner.

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