Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Digital data processing system initialization or configuration – Loading initialization program
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-20
2003-04-08
Kim, Hong (Department: 2186)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Digital data processing system initialization or configuration
Loading initialization program
C713S100000, C710S010000, C710S009000, C711S154000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06546484
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a program module management system and a method thereof, and a storing medium of management programs of the system, in particular, in which program modules are loaded into a memory.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Conventionally, when a CPU fetches a program from a large capacity and low speed memory such as an external ROM (non-volatile memory), it is necessary to control such as that a wait is inserted at the read timing of the program from the memory. Consequently, there is a problem that the program fetching speed to the CPU is lowered.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram showing a structure of a micro computer of a first conventional example. As show in
FIG. 1
, the micro computer consists of a CPU
91
, a ROM
92
, a RAM
93
, a program module A
94
storing in the ROM
92
, and the program module A
95
loaded and storing in the RAM
93
.
In
FIG. 1
, the RAM
93
, to which the CPU
91
can fetch a program module at a high speed, is connected to the CPU
91
, and the program module is loaded into the RAM
93
, and the program module is executed by the CPU
91
. This operation is explained in detail. The program module A
94
storing in an arbitrary address of the ROM
92
is loaded into an arbitrary address of the RAM
93
by the CPU
91
. And a program counter (PC) of the CPU
91
is set at the start address of the program module A
95
loaded and storing in the RAM
93
. With this, a high speed fetching on the RAM
93
by the CPU
91
is realized.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. SHO 63-228249 discloses a program loading system. In this application, a RAM, which program modules are loaded into, is used efficiently. And Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. SHO 59-114602 discloses a programmable controller. In this application, program modules, which are loaded into a RAM, are controlled.
FIG. 2
is a block diagram showing a structure of the program loading system described in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. SHO 63-228249 as the first conventional example. In this application, a main memory which the program modules are loaded into is used efficiently.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the program loading system at the first conventional example consists of an automatically address deciding unit
101
, an address designating unit
102
, a parameter
103
, and a main memory
104
.
The automatically address deciding unit
101
decides the loading address of a program module by allocating in order from the lower address of a memory, like a conventional program loading system. The address designating unit
102
decides the loading address of a program module by allocating in order from the upper address of the memory. The parameter
103
is a parameter that designates whether the automatically address deciding unit
101
or the address designating unit
102
is used as the program loading system for the program module. And the program module is allocated on the main memory
104
by one of the loading systems of the automatically address deciding unit
101
and the address designating unit
102
under control of its operating system (OS).
FIG. 3
is a diagram showing the operation at the program loading system shown in
FIG. 2
at the first conventional example. Referring to
FIG. 3
, the operation at the program loading system of the first conventional example is explained. FIG.
3
(
a
) shows a state that an OS loads an application program. As shown in FIG.
3
(
a
), an application program
113
is loaded into the lower address of the main memory
104
by the OS. After this, when the application program
113
storing in the main memory
104
loads a module of OS
112
, since the program module to be loaded is a module related to the OS, as shown in FIG.
3
(
b
), the module of OS
112
is loaded into the upper address by the program designating unit
102
.
After this, when the application program
113
was executed and finished, as shown in FIG.
3
(
c
), the memory area occupied by the application program
113
was made to be empty, and an empty area occurs in the main memory
104
.
As mentioned above, the module of OS
112
was loaded soon after the application program
113
had been loaded, and the application program
113
was executed and finished and the area of the application program
113
was made to be empty. When these operation is continued and some application programs in all the application programs loaded into the main memory
104
are executed and areas of the executed application programs are made to be empty, discontinuing empty areas may occur in the main memory
104
, and there is a problem that the main memory
104
cannot be utilized efficiently.
FIG. 4
is a block diagram showing a structure of the programmable controller at the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. SHO 59-114602 as a second conventional example. The programmable controller controls program modules storing in a RAM by using a program loader.
As shown in
FIG. 4
, the programmable controller consists of a CPU
121
, a ROM
122
, a RAM
123
, an I/O
124
, an I/F
125
, and a program loader
126
.
The CPU
121
is a central processing unit and executes operation processes, and also executes sequence processes with the program loader
126
. The ROM
122
stores programs that control and execute the operation processes, and also stores programs that control an interface with the program loader
126
and a mode control. The RAM
123
stores program modules and data required to execute programs in the ROM
122
. The I/O
124
is an interface that outputs signals to external processes and inputs signals from the external processes. The I/F
125
is an interface that transfers data to and from the program loader
126
and generally uses a serial transfer. The program loader
126
calculates the empty area in the RAM
123
and makes the RAM
123
load the program modules from the ROM
122
.
Next, at the second conventional example, the operation of loading processes of program modules at the programmable controller is explained. An OS storing in the ROM
122
transfers the start address and the size of each of the program modules storing in the RAM
123
to the program loader
126
, by an interruption command from the program loader
126
.
The program loader
126
confirms the size of a program module that is newly loaded and also confirms whether a program area, in which the new program module can be stored, exists in the RAM
123
or not. When it is possible that the new program module is stored, the program loader
126
calculates the start address of the new program module to be loaded and renews a management table in which the start address of each of the program modules storing in the RAM
123
is stored. When a request executing a program module is inputted from the I/O
124
, the OS in the ROM
122
extracts the start address of the program module from the management table and makes the CPU
121
execute the program module.
However, there are several problems at the conventional program module management systems. First, at the first conventional example, it is necessary to keep the relative address between program modules. And when plural program modules are loaded, there is a problem that these plural program modules should be gathered together in a section.
Second, as mentioned above, at the case that a program module is set in plural different sections with other program modules as a loading unit, the same program module must be disposed in each of the plural different sections. Therefore, there is a problem that the capacity of the ROM is made to be large.
Furthermore, at the first and second conventional examples, there is a problem that a circuit, which manages and loads program modules in the RAM, is required. At the second conventional example, the program loader
126
is required.
Moreover, programs are executed on a RAM by a CPU, and when the capacity of the program modules is exceeded the capacity of the RAM, there is a problem that some program modules exceeded the capacity of the RAM cannot be execut
Foley & Lardner
Kim Hong
LandOfFree
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