JPH09288646A - Data recorder for flash memory of portable information processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To guarantee data recording to a flash ROM inside a portable information processing system whose power source is a battery capable of suspension and resuming processings even when a battery voltage is lowered. SOLUTION: When it is detected that the voltage of the battery 4 is turned lower than a prescribed value by a battery voltage checking means 111, a data recording control part 11 sets the fact that data can not be recorded to the flash ROM 3 to a non-recording flag 14 for receiving the support of a backup battery 5 and tentatively records the data 2 in an operation area 15. The data recording control part 11 at the time of resumption is activated at the time of the resumption of the next time, checks the non-recording flag 14, and in the case that non-recorded data are present, checks whether or not the battery 4 is restored to a voltage state capable of writing the data in the flash ROM by the battery voltage checking means 121 and copies the data which could not be written in a previous time from the operation area to the flash ROM when the battery voltage is a normal value.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data recording device for a flash memory of a portable information processing system, and more particularly, it uses a battery as a power source and temporarily stores the operating state immediately before disconnection by backing up a spare battery when the power is disconnected. Portable information processing that has a suspend and resume function that reproduces the operating state when the power is turned on again, and records the data that needs to be recorded during operation in a flash memory that does not require a power source to retain the record The present invention relates to a data recording device used in a system and controlling recording of data in the flash memory.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 shows a conventional flash memory (electrically rewritable batch erasable read only memory, hereinafter referred to as flash ROM) data recording device in this type of portable information processing system. Show. The power supply voltage value required to erase or rewrite the flash ROM is higher than that of other ordinary circuits. In FIG. 7, the flash ROM data recording device 7 is composed only of a data recording control unit 70 having a battery voltage check means 71 and a flash ROM recording means 72. When the data 2 is recorded in the flash ROM 3 according to an instruction from the main control unit of the portable information processing system (not shown),
First, the flash voltage R in the battery voltage check means 71
It is checked whether the power supply voltage value from the battery 4 supplied to the OM 3 is a value at which data can be written. As a result of the check, when it is determined that the data writing is possible, the data 2 is recorded in the flash ROM 3 by the recording means 72 for the flash ROM. If it is determined that the data cannot be written as a result of the check, the data is not recorded in the flash ROM 3. If the user intentionally records data in the flash ROM 3 when the data is not recorded in the flash ROM 3, the user is informed that the data could not be recorded, and after the battery 4 is replaced, the data is recorded again. You can encourage them to record. However, when the system records the recording data of the internal processing in the flash ROM 3 or the system automatically records the occurrence status of the memory error that can be automatically corrected, the user should be aware of writing the data in the flash ROM 3. Not done, flash ROM3
The information inside was out of date.

[0003]

As described above,
In a conventional flash memory (ROM) data recording device, if data is not recorded in the flash memory due to a decrease in battery voltage, the process of re-recording is not performed later, and the content of the flash memory is old. In some cases, the reliability of the data in the flash memory was low.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a flash memory when the battery voltage is restored when data cannot be recorded in the flash memory due to a decrease in the battery voltage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a data recording device for a flash memory that can improve the reliability of the data in the flash memory by re-recording the contents that could not be recorded in the memory.

[0005]

A data recording device for a flash memory of a portable information processing system according to the present invention uses a battery as a power source and temporarily stores an operating state immediately before disconnection by backing up a spare battery when the power is turned off. Portable information processing that has a suspend and resume function that reproduces the operating state when the power is turned on again, and records the data that needs to be recorded during operation in a flash memory that does not require a power source to retain the record In a data recording device used in a system for controlling the recording of data in the flash memory, if the data cannot be recorded in the flash memory due to the voltage drop of the battery, the recording can be retained by the spare battery. The data is recorded in a supported memory, and resume processing is performed when the battery voltage returns to a normal value. When that has a structure to re-record the data to the flash memory.

In the above structure; battery voltage check means for determining whether the voltage value of the battery serving as a power source for the flash memory is a value at which data can be written in the flash memory; and data recording in the flash memory. An unrecorded flag on the memory whose record retention is supported by a spare battery for recording the success or failure of the operation; and a work on the memory whose record retention is supported by the spare battery for temporarily recording the data that could not be recorded in the flash memory. Area: When receiving a data recording instruction during normal operation, it is determined whether or not data writing to the flash memory is possible by referring to the determination result of the battery voltage check means. If the data cannot be written in the memory, the data in the flash memory is recorded. Means for setting the fact that recording was not possible in the unrecorded flag and temporarily recording the corresponding data in the work area; the flash being activated at the time of resume and referring to the setting content of the unrecorded flag Determining whether or not there is data that could not be recorded in the memory and determining whether or not data can be written to the flash memory by referring to the determination result of the battery voltage checking means, and there is unrecorded data If the voltage is a normal value, it can include means for recording the previously unwritable data temporarily recorded in the work area in the flash memory and clearing the setting content of the unrecorded flag. .

[0007]

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a battery is used as a power source, and an operating state immediately before disconnection is temporarily stored by backup of a spare battery at the time of power off and the power is turned on again. A portable information processing system having a suspend and resume function for reproducing the operation state and recording the data required for recording obtained during the operation in a flash memory (flash ROM) which does not require a power supply for holding the record. Only the part related to the present invention is shown.
Referring to FIG. 1, a flash ROM data recording apparatus 1 according to the present invention includes a data recording control unit 11 that controls data recording to the flash ROM 3 during normal operation, and a resume recording control unit that is activated at the time of resume and controls data recording to the flash ROM 3. Data recording control unit 12 and an unrecorded flag 14 for recording the success or failure of data recording in the flash ROM 3 provided in the volatile memory (RAM) 13 and a work area 15 for temporarily recording data that could not be recorded in the flash ROM 3. It consists of and Flash R
Like the OM 3, the battery 4 is used as a power source. When the power supply from the battery 4 cannot be performed normally, the backup battery 5 supplies power to the RAM 13 to retain the recorded contents.

The data recording control unit 11 includes a battery voltage checking means 111 for checking whether the battery 4 is in a voltage state in which data can be written in the flash ROM 3, and a flash ROM recording means 112 for recording the data 2 in the flash ROM 3. The unrecorded flag setting means 1 for setting the unrecorded flag 14 to the effect that data could not be recorded in the flash ROM 3 when the voltage of the battery 4 has dropped.
13 and a recording means 114 for recording a work area in which a part or all of the data 2 that could not be recorded in the flash ROM 3 is temporarily recorded in the work area 15.

The data recording control unit 12 at the time of resume is
An unrecorded flag check means 121 for checking whether there is data that could not be recorded in the flash ROM 3 last time by referring to the unrecorded flag 14, and the battery 4 is a flash ROM
3 is a battery voltage check means 122 for checking whether or not a voltage state in which data can be written in, and a work area for recording in the flash ROM 3 data that could not be written last time if there is unrecorded data and the battery voltage is a normal value Flash ROM copy means 123 and unrecorded flag clear means 124 for clearing the unrecorded flag 14.
And The battery voltage checking means 111,
Although 121 is provided in the data recording control unit 11 and the data recording control unit 12 at the time of resume, respectively, only one of them may be shared. The battery voltage checking means 111 and 121 are preset with a lower limit value of the power supply voltage at which data can be written in the flash ROM 3. For example, when the power supply voltage of the flash ROM 3 capable of recording data is 7 V or more, the value is set in the battery voltage check means 111 and 121 and compared with the actual power supply voltage supplied from the battery 4. The circuits other than the flash ROM 3 are guaranteed to operate even if the power supply voltage drops to some extent (for example, up to 6 V) from the operation guarantee lower limit value of the flash ROM 3. In addition, the battery 4 has a flash RO voltage when fully charged.
It is configured to be higher than the operation guarantee lower limit value of M3 (for example, 8 V).

Next, FIG. 2 showing a flow of a processing procedure in a normal state.
Also, the operation will be described with reference to FIG. 3 showing the flow of the processing procedure at the time of resume.

When it is desired to record the data 2 in the flash ROM 3 at normal times, control is transferred from the main control unit (not shown) of the portable information processing system to the data recording control unit 11. First, the state of the voltage of the battery 4 is checked (step S21 of FIG. 2), and it is determined whether the voltage value is a level at which data can be recorded in the flash ROM 3 (step S21).
22). If the data can be recorded, the data 2 is recorded in the flash ROM 3 (step S23).
If the data cannot be recorded, the unrecorded flag 1
The value "1" indicating that the data could not be recorded is set in the step 4 (step S24). Then, the data 2 that could not be recorded is once recorded in the work area 15 (step S
25). Once the voltage of the battery 4 is in a recordable state and the voltage of the battery 4 is lowered during recording of the data 2 in the flash ROM 3 and recording becomes impossible, the remaining data is stored in the work area as in the above process. The data is recorded in 15, and the unrecorded flag 14 is set to “1”. The work area 15 needs to have a sufficient size for storing unrecorded data. The initial value of the unrecorded flag 14 is set to "0".

At the time of resume, the control from a main controller (not shown) is always passed to the data recording controller 12 at the time of resume. Data recording control unit 12 during resume
In the process before the control is transferred to, the unrecorded flag 14 and the work area 15 should not be initialized.

In the resume data recording control unit 12, first, the unrecorded flag 14 is checked to determine whether or not there is any data that could not be recorded in the flash ROM 3 last time (step S31 in FIG. 3). Unrecorded flag 1
If the value of 4 is "0", it is considered that there is no data that could not be recorded in the flash ROM 3, and the processing ends without doing anything. If the value of the unrecorded flag is “1”, it is determined that there is data that could not be recorded in the flash ROM 3,
Check the state of the voltage of the battery 4 (step S32),
It is determined whether the voltage value is a level at which data can be recorded in the flash ROM 3 (step S33). If the result of determination is that the voltage value is a level at which data can be recorded, the data is copied from the work area 15 to the flash ROM 3 (step S34). When the copying of all the unrecorded data to the flash ROM 3 is completed, the unrecorded flag 14
Is cleared to "0" (step S35).

The data recording control unit 1 at the time of resume
In the voltage check of the battery 4 of No. 2, if the battery voltage value is at a level at which data cannot be recorded, the data recording to the flash ROM 3 is given up this time, and if the voltage value is restored by the battery replacement at the next resume, Data is recorded in the flash ROM 3. Further, when the voltage of the battery 4 drops during the data copy from the work area 15 to the flash ROM 3 and some unrecorded data cannot be copied, the value of the unrecorded flag 14 is left at “1”. If the battery voltage value is restored at the next resume, the data is recorded in the flash ROM 3.

4, 5, and 6 show examples of the structure of the work area 15 for temporarily recording unrecorded data. Data writing / reading of the work area 15 is performed on a first-in first-out basis, and has an area for storing a head pointer of unrecorded data as a header and a pointer for writing unrecorded data next. After that, the data length and the content of unrecorded data are stored as one block. At this time, the size of the area for storing the contents of the unrecorded data may be fixed or variable.

FIG. 4 shows the state of the work area 15 when the unrecorded data A, the unrecorded data B, and the unrecorded data C are stored in order. When only the unrecorded data A is stored, the pointer of the data length A is stored in the unrecorded data head pointer, and the pointer next to the unrecorded data A is stored in the pointer to be written next.
Each time the unrecorded data B and the unrecorded data C are written,
After writing the unrecorded data C, the pointer to be written next is moved backward, and the pointer to be written next points to the next of the unrecorded data C.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which after the state shown in FIG. 4, only the unrecorded data A has been successfully copied to the flash ROM 3 at the time of resume, and then the unrecorded data D is stored in the work area. Suspend (record hold) in the state of Fig. 4,
When the battery voltage is restored at the next resume and the unrecorded data A can be copied to the flash ROM 3, the unrecorded data start pointer is shifted to the data length B.
If the battery voltage drops at this point and writing to the flash ROM 3 becomes impossible, the flash ROM 3
Suspend copying of data to. In this case, not all unrecorded data has been copied, so the unrecorded flag 14 remains "1". When the unrecorded data D is newly stored in the work area 15, the pointer to be written next is shifted to the position next to the unrecorded data D. If the battery voltage is restored at the next resume, copying is started from the unrecorded data B indicated by the unrecorded data start pointer.

In the embodiment described above, the work area 15 has a structure in which the data length and the contents of unrecorded data are one block as shown in FIG. 4, but in a system for writing a plurality of types of data in the flash ROM 3. This can be dealt with by adding a data type as shown in FIG. For example, if the data type is "1", the contents of the data that could not be recorded indicate the usage status of the consumable parts, and data such as usage time and usage count are stored. If the data type is “2”,
The content of the data that could not be recorded indicates the occurrence status of the memory error, and the data such as the memory error occurrence time and the occurrence address is stored. The data recording control unit 12 at the time of resume may refer to the data length and the data type and copy the data to an appropriate area of the flash ROM 3 according to the data type.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the data cannot be recorded in the flash memory due to the voltage drop of the battery, the data is recorded in the memory whose record retention is supported by the spare battery. Since the data is re-recorded in the flash memory when the resume process is performed with the battery voltage returned to the normal value,
Data can be automatically and correctly recorded in the flash memory without leakage, and the reliability of the data in the flash memory is improved. As a result, for example, in the case of a system for automatically recording the occurrence status of a memory error in the flash memory, more reliable information than before can be obtained, which is useful as accurate data during failure analysis.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of a data recording control unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of a data recording control unit at the time of resume shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data storage structure of a work area.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of a data storage structure of a work area.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing still another example of the data storage structure of the work area.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Flash ROM Data Recording Device 3 Flash ROM 4 Battery 5 Backup Battery 11 Data Recording Control Unit 12 Data Recording Control Unit at Resume 14 Unrecorded Flag 15 Working Area 111, 122 Battery Voltage Checking Means 112 Flash ROM Recording Means 113 Unrecorded flag setting means 114 Recording means to work area 121 Unrecorded flag check means 123 Copy means from work area to flash ROM 124 Unrecorded flag clear means

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A battery is used as a power source, and when the power is turned off, a backup battery backup is used to temporarily store the operating state immediately before the disconnection, and when the power is turned on again, the suspending and resuming functions are provided to reproduce the operating state. A data recording device used in a portable information processing system for recording the obtained data required to be recorded in a flash memory that does not require a power supply for record retention, and in a data recording device for controlling the recording of data in the flash memory, When data cannot be recorded in the flash memory due to the voltage drop of the battery, the data is recorded in a memory whose record retention is supported by the spare battery,
A data recording device for a flash memory of a portable information processing system, wherein the data is re-recorded in the flash memory when a resume process is performed in a state where the voltage of the battery returns to a normal value. 2. A battery voltage check means for determining whether or not a voltage value of a battery serving as a power source for the flash memory is a value at which data can be written in the flash memory, and a success or failure of data recording in the flash memory. An unrecorded flag on a memory whose record retention is supported by a reserve battery for recording, and a work area on the memory where record retention is supported by the reserve battery for once recording data that could not be recorded in the flash memory, When a data recording instruction is received during normal operation, it is determined whether or not data writing to the flash memory is possible by referring to the determination result of the battery voltage check means, and if data writing is possible, the corresponding data is recorded in the flash memory. However, if the data cannot be written, the data could not be recorded in the flash memory. A message to that effect is set in the unrecorded flag, and means for temporarily recording the corresponding data in the work area, and a means for starting the operation upon resume and recording the data in the flash memory by referring to the set content of the unrecorded flag. The presence / absence of missing data is determined, and the determination result of the battery voltage check means is referred to determine whether data writing to the flash memory is possible.There is unrecorded data, and the power supply voltage is normal. If there is, it has means for recording the data which could not be written last time, which was temporarily recorded in the working area, in the flash memory, and for clearing the setting contents of the unrecorded flag. A data recording device for a flash memory of the portable information processing system described.