Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Digital data processing system initialization or configuration
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-31
2004-03-30
Lee, Thomas (Department: 2183)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Digital data processing system initialization or configuration
C713S002000, C709S200000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06715068
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-microcomputer system comprising a plurality of microcomputers and used in electronic apparatuses such as domestic appliances and electronic endoscopes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Microcomputers storing operating programs in accordance with various purposes have been installed in various kinds of electronic apparatuses, namely in domestic appliances such as TV sets and VCRs, and in electronic medical apparatuses such as cardiographs and endoscopes, for example. In order to prevent electric shocks from being applied to a human body, some of these electronic apparatuses have “isolation means” for isolating a circuit thereof in a portion made of a material that a human body is in direct contact with from a circuit thereof in a portion operating by the power supplied from an alternating current source, or for isolating the circuit from an external apparatus. Especially, for electronic medical apparatuses such as cardiographs and endoscopes, isolation of a portion of a cardiograph to be in direct contact with a human body or a scope unit of an electronic endoscope from a ground circuit is defined in a safety standard (IEC60601-1, JIS T1001, UL2601-1, for example).
For example, an electronic endoscope comprises a scope unit having imaging means such as a CCD imaging element located at the end thereof, and a video processor unit for processing a signal obtained by the scope unit and for outputting the processed signal to an output apparatus such as an image monitor connected to the endoscope. The isolation means is generally located in the video processor unit. The isolation means is installed in order to isolate the scope unit from an operation switch on the front of an enclosure containing the video processor unit and from an external apparatus such as the output apparatus like the image monitor described above. A microcomputer is located in either a circuit on a scope-unit side (hereinafter called a patient-side circuit) within the video processor unit or in a circuit within the external apparatus or the operation switch isolated by the isolation means (hereinafter called an IO[Input/Output]-side circuit). Since the microcomputer mainly controls the imaging means and the signal processing, the microcomputer is generally located in the patient-side circuit.
When the microcomputer is located in the patient-side circuit, the isolation means (an isolation unit) such as a photocoupler is necessary for each signal line (such as a data line and a control line) between the microcomputer and the operation switch or between the microcomputer and the external apparatus. Communication between the microcomputer and the external apparatus is carried out as serial communication or parallel communication in accordance with a communication protocol of the external apparatus. In the case of parallel communication, the number of photocouplers in the isolation means becomes much larger than in the case of serial communication, since each of multiple signal lines needs to be isolated. Since the microcomputer in the endoscope needs to deal with the communication protocol of the external apparatus, reduction in the number of photocouplers by entirely adopting serial communication with the external apparatus is impossible. In the case where the kind of external apparatuses which can be connected to the microcomputer is increased, the isolation means needs to be installed for each of the external apparatuses, due to a difference in the communication protocol. Therefore, the number of photocouplers further increases in some cases.
When the isolation unit such as a photocoupler is mounted on a circuit board, an area occupied by the isolation unit for each signal line is large and a distance for isolation needs to be reserved. Therefore, the number of parts increases and the electronic apparatus becomes large. As a result, the larger the number of the signal lines becomes, the lower the reliability of the entire apparatus becomes.
In order to solve this problem, a multi-microcomputer system can be used for an electronic endoscope. In this system, a main microcomputer is located in the patient-side circuit and a sub-microcomputer is also located in the IO-side circuit. The sub-microcomputer in the IO-side circuit carries out processing between the system and the external apparatus or between the system and the operation switch. In this manner, no direct communication between the main microcomputer in the patient-side circuit and the external apparatus can be carried out, and the number of photocouplers is thus reduced.
However, if a multi-microcomputer system is adopted, new data lines and control lines between the main microcomputer and the sub-microcomputer are necessary. Each data line or control line needs to have a photocoupler or the like in this case, and the number of isolation units may not necessarily be reduced as a result.
Meanwhile, in order to add a more convenient function or to manage a new scope unit or external apparatus, an electronic apparatus mounting a microcomputer enables update or upgrade of an operating program thereof in some cases. By appropriately improving the operating program, functions of the apparatus are enriched and convenience of the apparatus is improved. For example, in the case of an endoscope, when a new scope unit is adopted or a new external apparatus is managed, version-up is necessary.
The operating program can be updated by exchanging an old ROM (Read Only Memory) storing the current operating program with a new ROM storing a new operating program, by using an IC socket on a circuit board which can install the ROM storing the operating program.
However, in the case where the multi-microcomputer system uses ROMs of the same shape, which of the ROMs needs to be changed may not be obvious. For example, an old ROM for the main microcomputer may be changed to a new ROM for the sub-microcomputer. Furthermore, management of the ROM's becomes troublesome.
The present invention has been conceived based on consideration of the above problems. A first object of the present invention is to provide a multi-microcomputer system enabling update of an operating program of each microcomputer therein by using a simple method and not causing a problem in ROM management or erroneous insertion of a ROM.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a multi-microcomputer system enabling further reduction in the number of isolation units.
Recently, a multi-microcomputer system using a plurality of microcomputers in order to improve efficiency in processing or the like has also been proposed. When a multi-microcomputer system is employed by an electronic endoscope, two forms are possible. One is to place a main microcomputer in a patient-side circuit and to place a sub-microcomputer in an IO-side circuit, and the other is vice versa.
When exchanging ROM's, an enclosure of the system is opened, with the power being OFF. After an old ROM storing a current operating program is detached from an IC socket, a new ROM storing a new operating program is installed. This operation is troublesome.
When the multi-microcomputer system is used, new data lines and control lines between a main microcomputer and a sub-microcomputer are necessary. For each of the lines, an isolation unit such as a photocoupler needs to be installed. Therefore, the number of the isolation units increases.
The present invention has been conceived based on consideration of the above problems, and a third object of the present invention is to provide a multi-microcomputer system enabling reduction in the number of isolation units and update of an operating program of each microcomputer by a simple operation without causing a problem in ROM management.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first multi-microcomputer system of the present invention achieving the first object described above enables update of an operating program of a slave microcomputer by transferring an operating program for updating (hereina
Clifford Chance (US) LLP
Connolly Mark
Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.
Lee Thomas
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