Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Input/output data processing – Input/output access regulation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-06
2004-06-29
Huynh, Kim (Department: 2182)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Input/output data processing
Input/output access regulation
C710S040000, C713S502000, C713S500000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06757754
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a data transfer unit. More specifically, the invention relates to a data transfer unit which connects a data module to a plurality of host control units and which, when various commands are fed to the data module from the plurality of host control units, enables the data module to effectively receive these commands.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a cell phone employing the code division multiplex access (CDMA) system, it is an accepted practice to constitute a data transfer unit by connecting host control units constituted by a plurality of personal computers to a data module, and to feed various kinds of separate commands to the data module from the host control units, so that various data corresponding to the commands that are fed are processed in the data module.
FIG. 4
is a block diagram schematically illustrating a known data transfer unit in a state where two host control units are connected to a data module.
Referring to
FIG. 4
, the data transfer unit comprises a data module (DAT MOD)
41
, a first host control unit (HC
1
)
42
, and a second host control unit (HC
2
)
43
. In this case, the data module
41
includes a first command module (COMOD
1
)
44
, a second command module (COMOD
2
)
45
, a first interface {I/F(
1
)}
46
, a first on/off controllable interface {I/F(
2
)}
47
, a second on/off controllable interface {I/F(
3
)}
48
, a control unit (CPU)
49
, a first connector
50
, a second connector
51
, and a third connector
52
. Further, the first host control unit
42
includes a first connector
53
and a second connector
54
, and the second host control unit
3
includes a connector
55
.
The first command module
44
, second command module
45
, first interface
46
, first on/off controllable interface
47
, second on/off controllable interface
48
, control unit
49
, first connector
50
, second connector
51
, and third connector
52
are connected in the data module
41
in a manner as shown in FIG.
4
. The first connector
50
and the first connector
53
, the second connector
51
and the second connector
54
, and the third connector
52
and the connector
55
, are connected together through transfer lines (having no reference numerals), respectively.
The data transfer unit constituted as described above operates as described below.
The first host control unit
42
and the second host control unit
43
generate dedicated commands (request packet data), respectively, and the dedicated commands that are generated are fed to the data module
41
. Here, the first host control unit
42
generates a relatively important dedicated command (hereinafter referred to as expedited command) of an indefinite period representing the switching operation or the change-over of transmission/reception, and the second host control unit
43
generates a general purpose dedicated command (hereinafter referred to as general purpose command) every predetermined period T
0
, i.e., every 500 msec. In the data module
41
, the control unit
49
works to preferentially turn on the first on/off controllable interface
47
and to turn off the second on/off controllable interface
48
to monitor the arrival of the expedited command, so as to preferentially receive the expedited command fed from the first host control unit
42
. When no expedited command has arrived but a general purpose command has arrived, the control unit
49
turns the second on/off controllable interface
48
on and turns the first on/off controllable interface
47
off.
FIG. 5
is a diagram of a waveform illustrating a state where a command is received by the data module
41
when an expedited command and a general purpose command are fed to the data module
41
in the data transfer unit illustrated in FIG.
4
.
In
FIG. 5
, the abscissa represents the time and the ordinate represents the command waveform that is normally received by the data module
41
. Here, black dots appearing on the time axis every predetermined period T
0
represent a period for feeding a general purpose command, the upper side of the center line in the command waveform represents an expedited command waveform and the lower side of the center line represents a general purpose command waveform.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, the data module
41
that is fed with an expedited command from the first host control unit
42
during the period of from time t
0
to time t
1
, permits the expedited command to be fed to the second command module
45
through the first on/off controllable interface
47
that has been turned on, whereby the second command module
45
processes the expedited command and transmits a response command (response packet data) to the first host control unit
42
. During this period, the general purpose command is fed twice from the second host control unit
43
. Here, however, since the second on/off controllable interface
48
has been turned off, the second command module
45
does not receive the general purpose commands and, hence, no response command is transmitted to the second host control unit
43
.
Next, when the general purpose command is fed from the second host control unit
43
during the period of from time t
2
to time t
3
, the data module
41
permits the general purpose command to be fed to the second command module
45
through the second on/off controllable interface
48
that has been turned on at the moment t
2
, whereby the second command module
45
processes the general purpose command and transmits a response command to the second host control unit
43
.
Next, when the general purpose command is fed again from the first host control unit
42
during the period of from time t
4
to time t
5
, the data module
41
permits the expedited command to be fed to the second command module
45
through the first on/off controllable interface
47
that has been turned on at the moment t
4
, whereby the second command module
45
processes the expedited command and transmits a response command to the first host control unit
42
. During this period, the general purpose command is fed four times from the second, host control unit
43
. Here, however, since the second on/off controllable interface
48
has been turned off, the second command module
45
does not receive the general purpose commands and, hence, no response command is transmitted to the second host control unit
43
.
Then, when the general purpose command is fed from the second host control unit
43
during the period of from time t
6
to time t
7
, the data module
41
permits the general purpose command to be fed to the second command module
45
through the second on/off controllable interface
48
that has been turned on at the moment t
6
, whereby the second command module
45
processes the general purpose command and transmits a response command to the second host control unit
43
.
The above known data transfer unit preferentially receives the expedited command that is fed at an indefinite period from the first host control unit
42
and does not permit such an occurrence that the expedited command is not received, but frequently permits such an occurrence that the general purpose command is not received though it has been fed maintaining a predetermined period T
0
from the second host control unit
43
.
To avoid such an inconvenient state, means can be contrived according to which the time for monitoring the reception of the expedited command is set to be 10 seconds, and the reception is changed over to receiving the general purpose command when no expedited command is arriving even after the passage of 10 seconds. Even with this means, however, the general purpose command is not received for a period of 10 seconds of monitoring the reception of the expedited commands. The monitoring time of 10 seconds is considerably longer than the predetermined period T
0
which is, for example, 500 msec of the general purpose command. Therefore, the state where the general purpose command is not received accounts for a considerab
Ishitobi Yuusai
Yamamoto Naoto
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Huynh Kim
LandOfFree
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