A chip and a chip self-repair method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a chip self-repair method. The circuit module of the chip includes a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, and a detection and repair module. The self-repair method includes: powering on the chip; after the chip is powered on, detecting whether a data anomaly signal and / or a logic anomaly signal is detected. When the detection and repair module detects the occurrence of the data anomaly signal and / or the logic anomaly signal; the detection and repair module reads the data in the non-volatile memory and updates it into the data of the volatile memory. The technical problem of chip damage caused by accidental loosening of the battery in the prior art is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a chip and a chip self-repair method, and the chip is used for detachably mounting on a processing cartridge in an electronic imaging device. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of electronic imaging devices such as imaging apparatuses, the requirements of users are continuously increasing. The printing speed of the imaging apparatus is getting faster and faster, and the communication speed between the imaging apparatus and the consumable chip is also getting faster and faster. More and more consumable chips have begun to use batteries for data storage. In order to improve the communication speed, this data is usually placed in a volatile memory and powered by a battery for storage. Even when the imaging apparatus does not supply power to the chip, the data can be stored for a long time under the power supply of the battery.

[0003] Figure 1 The existing memory chip is as follows. The imaging apparatus supplies power to or cuts off the power of the chip by controlling the on / off of the power supply. Through a data bus (including clock and data information), the imaging apparatus and the chip perform data interaction functions. The chip receives a command request from the imaging apparatus through control logic, then reads data from the volatile memory for operation, and transmits the data to the imaging apparatus through the data bus. At the same time, the control logic also updates the data in the volatile memory. The role of the battery is that when the imaging apparatus turns off the power of the chip, the battery still supplies power to the volatile memory, so as to ensure that the data in the volatile memory is not lost due to the imaging apparatus turning off the power.

[0004] However, the battery often has a phenomenon of battery loosening caused by jitter during use or transportation. This phenomenon often causes damage to the data in the volatile memory of the consumable chip, resulting in the consumable chip being unable to be used normally.

[0005] In view of these situations, the conventional method is to reinforce the contact between the battery mounting seat and the battery. Although this has been improved to a certain extent, there are still some chips in some special situations, such as accidental dropping and long-term transportation shaking with battery loosening. Since the data in the volatile memory in the chip completely depends on the continuous power supply of the battery to be maintained, when the battery is powered off, the data in the volatile memory will be lost. Even if the battery is reconnected or the chip is installed in the imaging apparatus again, due to the lack of this part of the data, the chip cannot work normally. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to propose a consumable chip that can self-repair data in view of the above situations. This chip can fundamentally solve the above technical problems and avoid the technical problem of chip damage caused by accidental battery loosening. To solve the above technical problems, the present invention is realized through the following technical solutions:

[0007] A chip self - repair method, the circuit module of the chip includes a volatile memory, a non - volatile memory, and a detection and repair module. The self - repair method includes:

[0008] (i) Power on the chip;

[0009] (ii) After the chip is powered on, the detection and repair module detects whether a data anomaly signal and / or a logic anomaly signal is detected;

[0010] (iii) When the detection and repair module detects the occurrence of the data anomaly signal and / or the logic anomaly signal, the detection and repair module reads the data in the non - volatile memory and updates it into the volatile memory data.

[0011] Further, the chip further includes a battery and a battery management module. The battery management module is used to switch the power supply source of the volatile memory to an external power supply of the chip or the battery. When the external power supply is cut off, the battery management module controls the battery to supply power to the volatile memory; when the chip receives a stable external power supply, the battery management module controls the volatile memory to switch to be powered by the external power supply.

[0012] Further, the logic anomaly signal includes at least one of a chip function termination signal, a processing timeout signal, a command recognition error signal, and a communication length return inconsistent with the expected signal.

[0013] Further, it further includes a power - on stability signal detection module. The power - on stability signal detection module reads the preset stability marker data in the non - volatile memory, and when the preset stability marker data is correctly read, it outputs a power - on stability detection signal.

[0014] Further, the chip performs the step of detecting whether there is a data anomaly signal or a logic anomaly signal after receiving the power - on stability detection signal.

[0015] Further, it further includes a data anomaly signal module. When it is detected that the specific bit or the combined data of several bits at a specified address in the volatile memory is accidentally changed, or when it is detected that the checksum value of all or part of the data in the volatile memory does not conform to the checksum rule, the data anomaly information module outputs a data anomaly signal to the detection and repair module.

[0016] Further, the data in the non - volatile memory includes at least one of data for external communication with the chip, data with normal verification for the volatile memory, and marker data for normal recognition of the volatile memory.

[0017] Further, a chip adopts the chip self-repair method described in any one of the above.

[0018] After adopting the above technical solution, the present invention can completely solve the technical problem in the prior art that due to the power-off of the battery, the data in the volatile memory of the chip is lost, and even if the battery is connected again or the chip is installed in the imaging device, the chip cannot work properly due to the lack of this part of data.

[0019] On the other hand, by adding a power supply stability signal detection module, when powering on, the stable marker data of the non-volatile memory is read. When the normal marker data is read, a power-on stability detection signal is output, and then the detection and repair module is executed, which can avoid the technical problem of frequent accidental repair caused by unstable power supply due to shaking during the operation of the chip. Description of the Drawings

[0020] Figure 1 is a connection diagram of an existing imaging device and a chip;

[0021] Figure 2 is a circuit module diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention with a self-repair data function;

[0022] Figure 3 is a flowchart of the data repair method in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 is a circuit module diagram of Embodiment 2 of the present invention with a self-repair data function;

[0024] Figure 5 is a flowchart of the data repair method in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of data error in the volatile memory in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of data verification error in the volatile memory in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Detailed Embodiments

[0027] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and technical effects of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the developing cartridge of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0028] Embodiment 1

[0029] As Figure 2As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the chip circuit module with self-repairing data function includes: a non-volatile memory, a volatile memory, a battery management module, a data anomaly signal module, a detection and repair module, and a communication module.

[0030] The non-volatile memory stores a set of data that can be recognized by the imaging device, including data for communicating with the imaging device, data for verifying the normality of the volatile memory, and marker data that can be normally recognized by the volatile memory. The data in this memory can be saved when the power is off.

[0031] The volatile memory stores a set of original data that can be recognized by the imaging device, including information such as passwords, toner or ink levels, and the number of printed pages, as well as information indicating the normality of the volatile memory data, which may include signature information or the checksum value of all data in the volatile memory.

[0032] The battery management module manages the switching between the power supply of the imaging device and the battery power supply, ensuring that when the power supply of the imaging device is disconnected, the battery power can be provided to the volatile memory in a timely manner, thereby ensuring that the data in the volatile memory can be saved.

[0033] In this embodiment, the switching between the external power supply (imaging device) and the internal battery power supply is realized by a hardware circuit. After the external circuit is powered off, all control logics do not work, and only the volatile memory has power. Through the above settings, the power consumption of the chip can be greatly reduced, enabling the battery to maintain a relatively long service life.

[0034] When the data anomaly signal module detects that the data in the volatile memory is abnormal, it outputs an anomaly signal; otherwise, it outputs a normal signal. When it detects that the marker data of the above-mentioned volatile memory data is modified, such as when a specific bit or a combination of several bits at a specified address is accidentally changed, it outputs a data anomaly signal, or when it detects that the checksum value of all or part of the data in the volatile memory does not conform to the checksum rule, it outputs an anomaly signal. For example Figure 6 For the data at addresses 0x100h to 0x1ffh in the volatile memory, the data AA 55 at 0x100h and 0x101h is the correct marker data. When the chip reads other data at this address, such as reading A8 15, it indicates that the marker data has been accidentally changed, and an anomaly signal is output. This marker data can be other values. Or for another example Figure 7For the data in the addresses of the volatile memory from 0x300h to 0x3ffh, the data in the addresses from 0x3fah to 0x3ffh, namely 3F 46 02 46 A0 20, is the CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) check code for the data in the previous 250 addresses from 0x300h to 0x3f9. When the chip reads the data in this segment of addresses, calculates the CRC check code, and compares it with the last 6 bytes of data, if they do not match, it indicates that there is an abnormality in the data in the volatile memory, and a data abnormality signal is output.

[0035] When the logic abnormality signal module detects an abnormality in the special signal of the control circuit, it outputs a logic abnormality signal. This signal can be one or more of the chip function termination signal, processing timeout signal, command recognition error signal, communication length return not meeting expectations, etc. These abnormality signals will be generated when the data is accidentally damaged. In this implementation, specifically, when the chip is working normally, the function termination signal is always at a high level (logic 1), but it is not limited to this. When there is an abnormality in the data in the volatile memory, the function termination signal is output as a low level (logic 0), which will cause the chip to work abnormally and the chip function cannot be realized. When the detection and repair module detects that the function termination signal is at a low level, it indicates that the data in the volatile memory has been accidentally changed, and the detection and repair module is started to update the data in the non-volatile memory to the volatile memory. When there is an abnormality in the data in the volatile memory, as other logic abnormality signals, for example, when the chip is working, it takes too long to process a certain data / command; or, the chip recognizes a certain command as non-existent or incorrect. When the imaging device detects these abnormalities, it indicates that the data in the volatile memory has been accidentally changed, and the detection and repair module needs to be started to update the data in the non-volatile memory to the volatile memory.

[0036] After power-on, the detection and repair module detects the data abnormality signal and the logic abnormality signal. When it detects that one of them is abnormal, it performs data repair, that is, updates some data in the non-volatile memory to the volatile memory. The data includes one or more of the data for communicating with the imaging device, the data with normal verification of the volatile memory, and the marker data with normal recognition of the volatile memory, etc., to ensure that when power-on is restarted, both the data abnormality signal module and the logic signal abnormality module of the chip detect and recognize normal signals.

[0037] The communication module is the port for the chip to communicate with the imaging device. Through this module, the chip analyzes the access command of the imaging device to the chip and starts the control logic of the corresponding command. After the chip calculates and processes, it returns communication data that conforms to the protocol.

[0038] When the battery shakes accidentally, the volatile memory may have data errors due to an instantaneous power supply interruption of the battery. At this time, the data anomaly signal module will detect the loss of marker data or the inconsistency of data verification rules in the volatile memory and output a data anomaly signal; or, the logic anomaly signal module will cause the disorder of logic signals due to the data loss or error in the volatile memory, ultimately leading to anomalies such as the termination of the chip function, and output a logic anomaly signal. The detection and repair module will detect the anomaly signal output by the data anomaly signal module and / or the logic anomaly signal module. As long as the detection and repair module detects the generation of a data anomaly signal or a logic anomaly signal, the detection and repair module reads the data in the non-volatile memory and updates it into the data in the volatile memory. These data can communicate with the imaging device normally. Through the above data repair, the chip can resume normal use, thus solving the problem of accidental data damage such as accidental battery shaking.

[0039] In addition to power-on to start the detection and repair module, this embodiment also includes that when the imaging device starts a certain chip access command, that is, when the above communication module parses out a certain imaging device access command, the chip can also start the detection and repair module. If a data anomaly signal or a logic anomaly signal is detected, this module will update the data in the non-volatile memory into the volatile memory, so that the chip can repair the data in time when the number of power-on cycles is small, preventing the imaging device from reporting errors during use.

[0040] In this embodiment, the signal detection method is used. In the prior art, the data anomaly in the chip is detected by specifically detecting the data in the chip. Compared with the prior art, since only the high and low levels need to be detected, the detection speed is faster and the detection result is more accurate.

[0041] As Figure 3 shown, the data damage repair method of this embodiment is carried out according to the following steps:

[0042] The first step: Power on and start the detection and repair module.

[0043] The second step: Determine whether there is a data anomaly signal in the volatile memory. If there is, jump to the fourth step to repair the data. If not, execute the third step.

[0044] The third step: Determine whether there is a logic anomaly signal. If there is, execute the fourth step to repair the data. Otherwise, jump to the fifth step to end the detection and repair and wait for the next power-on.

[0045] The fourth step: The detection and repair module reads the data in the non-volatile memory and updates it into the volatile memory to repair the damaged data in the volatile memory.

[0046] The fifth step: End the detection and repair and wait for the next power-on.

[0047] Embodiment 2

[0048] Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention is introduced. During the printing process of the toner cartridge, driving the toner cartridge by the imaging device will cause the chip power supply to jitter. At this time, the chip starts the detection and repair module. In Embodiment 1, it is easy to erroneously detect the data anomaly signal, resulting in repeated data repair. To avoid the above problems, in this embodiment, a stable marker bit or a stable marker combination bit signal is set at a fixed address on the non-volatile memory. When powered on, the stable marker data of the non-volatile memory is read. When normal marker data is detected, a power-on stable detection signal is output to start the subsequent detection and repair module of Embodiment 1. If normal marker data cannot be detected, the stable marker data of the non-volatile memory is read again after a delay until the stable marker data is read. This embodiment avoids the frequent accidental repair problem caused by the unstable power supply due to the shaking of the toner cartridge during the printing process of the imaging device.

[0049] As Figure 4 shown, compared with Embodiment 1, the circuit module of this embodiment adds a power supply stability signal detection module. This module pre-sets stable marker data at a fixed address in the non-volatile memory. When the imaging device powers on the chip, the power-on stability signal detection module reads the data in the fixed address of the non-volatile memory. When the pre-set stable marker data in the fixed address is correctly read, a power-on stable detection signal is output. Otherwise, the pre-set stable marker data at this address is read again after a delay. In addition, the function of the detection and repair module has also changed. Specifically, when the chip is powered on, this module detects the power-on stability signal. If the power-on stability signal output by the power-on stability signal detection module is detected, the detection of data anomaly signals and logic anomaly signals is performed. Otherwise, the detection of the power-on stability signal continues until the power-on stability signal is detected. After the power-on stability signal detection is completed, the detection of data anomaly signals and logic anomaly signals is performed. When an anomaly is detected in one of them, data repair is performed, that is, the data in the non-volatile memory is updated to the volatile memory. The data includes data for communicating with the imaging device, data for verifying the normal operation of the volatile memory, and marker data for correctly identifying the volatile memory, etc., to ensure that when powered on again, both the data anomaly signal module and the logic anomaly signal module of the chip can recognize it as a normal signal.

[0050] As Figure 5 shown, the data damage repair method of this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0051] The first step: Power on

[0052] Step 2: Read the stable marker data in the non-volatile memory, which is pre-set at a fixed address in the non-volatile memory. As long as the read data is consistent with the pre-set data, the power-on stability signal detection module outputs a power-on stability signal.

[0053] Step 3: Determine whether the power-on stability signal is detected. If not, repeat Step 2 to continue reading the stable marker data in the non-volatile memory. If the power-on stability signal is detected, execute Step 4.

[0054] Step 4: Determine whether the volatile memory data exception signal is detected. If detected, jump to Step 6 for data repair. If not detected, execute Step 5.

[0055] Step 5: Determine whether the logic exception signal is detected. If detected, execute Step 6 to repair the data. Otherwise, jump to Step 7 to end the detection and repair, and wait for the next power-on.

[0056] Step 6: The detection and repair module reads the non-volatile memory data and updates it into the volatile memory data to repair the damaged data in the volatile memory.

[0057] Step 7: End the detection and repair, and wait for the next power-on.

[0058] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A chip self - repair method, characterized in that, When powering on the chip by the imaging device during the toner cartridge printing process, the circuit module of the chip includes a power-on stability signal detection module, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, and a detection and repair module. Stable marker data is preset at a fixed address on the non-volatile memory. The self-repair method includes: Power on the chip; The power-on stability signal detection module reads the data at the fixed address of the non-volatile memory. When the stable marker data preset at the fixed address is correctly read, it outputs a power-on stability detection signal to the detection and repair module. Otherwise, it continues to read the stable marker data preset at the fixed address after a delay; The detection and repair module detects the power-on stability detection signal. If the power-on stability signal is detected, it detects the data anomaly signal of the volatile memory; If the data anomaly signal of the volatile memory is detected, it reads the data in the non-volatile memory and updates it to the data of the volatile memory to repair the data of the volatile memory. If the data anomaly signal of the volatile memory is not detected, it detects the logical anomaly signal of the volatile memory. Among them, whether the data of the volatile memory is abnormal is determined by detecting high and low levels, and the low level corresponds to the data anomaly of the volatile memory; If the logical anomaly signal of the volatile memory is detected, it reads the data in the non-volatile memory and updates it to the data of the volatile memory to repair the data of the volatile memory. If the logical anomaly signal of the volatile memory is not detected, the detection and repair ends.

2. The chip self - repair method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The chip further includes a battery and a battery management module. The battery management module is used to switch the power supply source of the volatile memory to an external power supply of the chip or the battery. When the external power supply is cut off, the battery management module controls the battery to supply power to the volatile memory; When the chip receives a stable external power supply, the battery management module controls the volatile memory to switch to be powered by the external power supply.

3. The chip self - repair method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The logical anomaly signal includes at least one of a chip function termination signal, a processing timeout signal, a command recognition error signal, and a communication length return not meeting the expected signal.

4. The chip self - repair method according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a data anomaly signal module. When it is detected that the specific bit or the combined data of several bits at a specified address in the volatile memory is accidentally changed, or when it is detected that the check value of all or part of the data in the volatile memory does not conform to the check rule, the data anomaly signal module outputs a data anomaly signal to the detection and repair module.

5. The chip self - repair method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The data in the non-volatile memory includes at least one of data for external communication with the chip, data with normal verification for the volatile memory, and marker data for normal identification of the volatile memory.

6. A chip, characterized in that, The chip self-repair method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is adopted.

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