Communication device and communication method

Abstract

To make a circuit related to communication of one method capable of resetting so as not to affect communication of another method, in a communication device in which a circuit for communication by a first method and a circuit for communication by a second method have a communication circuit including a shared circuit.SOLUTION: A communication device includes a communication circuit having a first communication unit for communication of a first method, a second communication unit for communication of a second method, and a shared circuit of the first communication unit and the second communication unit. The communication device further has first communication control means for controlling the communication of the first method and second communication control means for controlling the communication of the second method. When it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the communication circuit, the first communication control means confirms that the communication by the second method is not being performed, and then resets the first communication unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication method, and more particularly to a communication device and a communication method that can use a plurality of communication methods. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, communication functions with external devices have generally been provided in the form of a module or package that aggregates the circuits required for each communication method (or communication standard). However, with the increase in devices that support multiple communication methods, combo chips that aggregate the circuits required for multiple communication methods into a single module or package have come into use (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-104999 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Combo chips achieve reduced mounting area and power consumption by sharing circuits common to different communication methods. However, circuit sharing can cause new challenges. For example, if part of the circuitry required for communication using the first method is also used for communication using the second method, resetting the circuitry required for communication using the second method while communication using the first method is in progress may result in communication using the first method being interrupted.

[0005] One object of the present invention is to enable a communication device having a communication circuit including a shared circuit for a circuit for communication using a first method and a circuit for communication using a second method to reset a circuit related to communication using one method without affecting communication using the other method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above-mentioned object is achieved by a communication device having a communication circuit having a first communication unit for communication of a first method, a second communication unit for communication of a second method, and a shared circuit between the first communication unit and the second communication unit, a first communication control means for controlling communication of the first method, and a second communication control means for controlling communication of the second method, wherein, when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the communication circuit, the first communication control means confirms that communication of the second method is not being performed, and then resets the first communication unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, in a communication device having a communication circuit including a shared circuit for a circuit for communication using a first method and a circuit for communication using a second method, the circuit related to communication using one method can be reset without affecting communication using the other method. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a digital camera according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] A sequence diagram to explain the issues caused by the reset operation of the communication unit in a communication circuit where the communication unit shares the circuit. [Figure 3] Flowchart regarding the operation of the communication control unit [Figure 4] Flowchart for the operation of the power supply control unit [Figure 5] Flowchart of another operation of the communication control unit DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention will be described in detail below based on exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claimed invention. Furthermore, although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of them are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] In the following embodiments, the present invention will be described with reference to a digital camera. However, an imaging function is not essential for the present invention, and the present invention can be implemented in any electronic device. Such electronic devices include video cameras, computer devices (personal computers, tablet computers, media players, PDAs, etc.), mobile phones, smartphones, game consoles, robots, drones, and drive recorders. These are merely examples, and the present invention can also be implemented in other electronic devices.

[0011] <Digital camera configuration> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a digital camera 100 as an example of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1(a) is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the digital camera 100. Fig. 1(b) and Fig. 1(c) are perspective views showing an example of the appearance of the digital camera 100. Fig. 1(b) is a perspective view seen from the front (subject) side, and Fig. 1(c) is a perspective view seen from the back (user) side.

[0012] The control unit 101 has one or more processors capable of executing programs. The control unit 101 uses the one or more processors to load a program stored in, for example, nonvolatile memory 103 into work memory 104 and executes the program. By executing the program using the one or more processors, the control unit 101 controls the operation of the functional blocks of the digital camera 100 and realizes the functions of the digital camera 100.

[0013] The first communication control unit 101a and the second communication control unit 101b are schematic representations of the functions of the control unit 101 that control the operations of the first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112 of the communication circuit 110, respectively. The power supply control unit 101c is a schematic representation of the functions of the control unit 101 that control the operation mode of the control unit 101 and the operation of the power supply circuit 113 of the communication circuit 110. In this specification, operations mainly performed by the first communication control unit 101a, the second communication control unit 101b, and the power supply control unit 101c are actually realized by the control unit 101 executing a program.

[0014] Note that one or more of the first communication control unit 101a, the second communication control unit 101b, and the power supply control unit 101c may be implemented by hardware separate from the control unit 101. In this case, the control units are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other and exchange information with each other.

[0015] Note that some of the processes performed by the control unit 101 may be implemented using dedicated hardware instead of being implemented by a processor executing a program. For example, processes related to image processing or machine learning may be executed using a dedicated integrated circuit (such as an ASIC) suitable for those processes.

[0016] The nonvolatile memory 103 stores programs executed by the control unit 101, settings of the digital camera 100, GUI data such as menu screens, etc. The nonvolatile memory 103 may be, for example, electrically rewritable.

[0017] The working memory 104 is used to load programs executed by the control unit 101 and to store values ​​required during program execution. The working memory 104 is also used as a buffer memory for temporarily storing image data read from the imaging unit 102 or storage medium 107. Furthermore, a portion of the working memory 104 is also used as a video memory for the display unit 106.

[0018] The imaging unit 102 has an imaging optical system (lens unit) and an imaging element that converts an optical image of a subject formed by the lens unit into an image signal. The lens unit has movable members such as an aperture, a variable magnification lens, and a focus lens, and a drive circuit that drives the movable members. The control unit 101 controls the drive circuit to control the aperture opening and the positions of the variable magnification lens and focus lens.

[0019] The imaging element is, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor. The imaging element has multiple pixels, each with a photoelectric conversion element, arranged two-dimensionally. Each pixel generates an electrical signal having a voltage corresponding to the amount of incident light. The group of electrical signals generated by the pixels is read out from the imaging element as an image signal corresponding to the optical image of the subject formed by the lens unit. In this embodiment, the imaging element or the imaging unit 102 has an A / D converter, and outputs a digital image signal (image data) obtained by A / D converting the electrical signals read out from the pixels. The operation of the imaging element is controlled by the control unit 101.

[0020] The control unit 101 applies predetermined image processing to image data obtained from the imaging unit 102 to generate image data to be used for recording or display, and acquires and / or generates information to be used for various controls. Non-limiting examples of image processing include color interpolation processing (demosaic processing), white balance adjustment processing, gradation correction processing, scaling processing, encoding and decoding processing, and feature region detection processing. Non-limiting examples of information to be used for various controls include signals and evaluation values ​​to be used for autofocus detection (AF), evaluation values ​​to be used for autoexposure control (AE), etc.

[0021] The control unit 101 can display an image on the display unit 106 by writing the image data for display to the video memory area of ​​the working memory 104. In addition, the control unit 101 applies encoding processing to the image data for recording as necessary, stores it in a data file of a predetermined format, and records it on the storage medium 107.

[0022] Operation unit 105 is a general term for input devices or operation members that can be operated by the user and that are included in digital camera 100. Operation unit 105 includes, for example, a power switch 105d that the user uses to instruct the power of digital camera 100 to be turned on / off, a release switch 105a that instructs the user to take a still image, and a playback button 105b that instructs the user to play back image data. Operation unit 105 also includes direction keys 105c that are used to operate menu screens, etc., a confirmation button that is used to confirm a selected item, and a menu button that displays the menu screen.

[0023] The operation unit 105 further includes an operation member (for example, a connection button) for starting communication with an external device via the second communication unit 112. In addition, if the display unit 106 is a touch display, the display unit 106 also functions as the operation unit 105.

[0024] The release switch 105a has two switches, SW1 and SW2, which are turned on depending on the amount of depression. SW1 is turned on when the release switch 105a is pressed about halfway down. SW2 is turned on when the release switch 105a is pressed close to the total amount of depression.

[0025] The control unit 101 recognizes that the ON state of SW1 is a preparation instruction for still image shooting, and the ON state of SW2 is a start instruction for still image shooting. When the control unit 101 detects that the SW1 is ON, it starts AF (autofocus). mosquito The control unit 101 executes predetermined photographing preparation processes such as (photographic) processing, AE (auto exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing. When the control unit 101 detects that SW2 is ON, it exposes the image sensor under the exposure conditions determined in the photographing preparation processes. Then, the control unit 101 generates still image data for recording from the image data read out from the image sensor, and stores the still image data. memory Record on medium 107.

[0026] Although only still image shooting has been described here, the digital camera 100 is also capable of shooting moving images. For example, when the operation of an operating member (e.g., a moving image shooting button) for instructing moving image shooting that the operating unit 105 has is detected, the control unit 101 performs moving image shooting for recording, reads frame image data from the image sensor at a predetermined frame rate, and generates moving image data for recording. In parallel with the moving image shooting, the control unit 101 also acquires audio data from a microphone or the like. Then, the control unit 101 records a moving image data file that stores the moving image data and audio data. memory Record on medium 107.

[0027] The display unit 106 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The display unit 106 displays live view images, captured images, GUIs such as menu screens, information about the digital camera 100, and the like. The display unit 106 may be an external display device connected to the digital camera 100. When the display unit 106 is an external display device, the control unit 101 outputs a video signal that can be displayed on the external display device.

[0028] The storage medium 107 is, for example, a removable semiconductor memory card. The storage medium 107 records image data obtained by the image capturing unit 102. memory The medium 107 may include one or more external storage devices connected to the digital camera 100 and storage devices internal to the digital camera 100 .

[0029] The power supply unit 108 supplies power to each component of the digital camera 100. The power supply unit 108 has, for example, a secondary battery as its power source. An adapter that supplies power from an external source may be connected to the power supply unit 108. When an adapter is connected to the power supply unit 108, the digital camera 100 operates using power supplied from the adapter. The power supply unit 108 also charges the power source using the power supplied from the adapter.

[0030] The communication circuit 110 provides the digital camera 100 with a function for communicating with external devices. The communication circuit 110 supports multiple communication methods. In this embodiment, the communication circuit 110 supports two communication methods, but a communication circuit 110 that supports three or more communication methods may also be used.

[0031] In this embodiment, the communication circuit 110 is a combo chip in the form of a single semiconductor package (IC package). The communication circuit 110 also has a circuit (shared circuit) that is used for both communication by a first method and communication by a second method that is different from the first method. This means that part of the circuit necessary for communication by the first method is also the circuit necessary for communication by the second method. Therefore, if the shared circuit stops working, communication by either the first method or the second method becomes impossible. Furthermore, if the circuit necessary for communication by the first (second) method is reset, communication by the second (first) method is cut off.

[0032] In the present embodiment, as an example, the shared circuit is the power supply circuit 113, and the other circuits are not shared circuits; however, the shared circuit may be another circuit, or there may be two or more shared circuits. Also, in FIG. 1 , the first communication unit 111 has a circuit for communication using a first method, and the second communication unit 112 has a circuit for communication using a second method. The power supply circuit 113 supplies power to the first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112 based on power supplied from, for example, the control unit 101. Therefore, the first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112 share the power supply circuit 113.

[0033] The first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112 each have circuits (antennas, modulation / demodulation circuits, communication controllers, etc.) according to the communication standards to which they conform. The control unit 101 communicates with the communication controllers included in the first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112, and controls the operation of the first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112. This allows the digital camera 100 to wirelessly communicate with external devices via one or more of the first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112.

[0034] In this embodiment, as an example, first communication unit 111 performs short-distance wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, and second communication unit 112 performs wireless communication conforming to the wireless LAN standard (IEEE802.11x) with external devices present within their respective communication ranges. However, these standards are merely examples, and first communication unit 111 and second communication unit 112 may perform communication conforming to other standards.

[0035] Although Bluetooth-compliant communications have a narrower communication range and a lower theoretical maximum communication speed than wireless LAN-compliant communications, they consume less power. As a result, the first communication unit 111 can maintain a communication standby state even when the digital camera 100 is powered off. Operating the second communication unit 112 while the digital camera 100 is powered off consumes a large amount of power from the power source 108, significantly impacting the operational time of the digital camera 100. For this reason, the second communication unit 112 is operated only when necessary.

[0036] In this embodiment, the second communication unit 112 can operate in an AP mode in which it operates as an access point in infrastructure mode, and in a CL mode in which it operates as a client in infrastructure mode. By operating the second communication unit 112 in the CL mode, the digital camera 100 can operate as a client in infrastructure mode. When the digital camera 100 operates as a client, it can connect to a nearby access point and participate in a network formed by the access point.

[0037] Furthermore, by operating the second communication unit 112 in AP mode, the digital camera 100 can operate as an access point. However, this is limited to operation as a simple access point (simple AP) that does not have a gateway function for connecting a connected client to another network.

[0038] When the digital camera 100 operates as a simple AP, the digital camera 100 forms its own network. External devices that are within the communication range of the second communication unit 112 and comply with the wireless LAN standard can join the network formed by the digital camera 100.

[0039] In a communication circuit 110 having multiple communication units, communication or operational abnormalities may occur in some of the communication units. For example, if communication with an external device becomes impossible, and it is not clear that the cause of the abnormality lies in the external device, the communication unit should be reset and communication should be attempted again. Resetting a communication unit may involve, for example, temporarily stopping and then restarting the power supply to the communication unit, thereby restarting the communication unit. However, when a single power supply circuit 113 supplies power to multiple communication units, as in this embodiment, it is not possible to stop the power supply to only a specific communication unit. For example, if the power supply to the first communication unit 111 is stopped to reset, the power supply to the second communication unit 112 is also stopped. Therefore, if the second communication unit 112 is currently communicating, resetting the first communication unit 111 will interrupt the communication of the second communication unit 112. Even when shared circuits are included in individual communication units, resetting one communication unit will reset shared circuits used by other communication units, thereby interrupting the communication of the other communication units. Note that resetting the circuit is not limited to stopping and restarting the power supply, and may be performed by other methods such as inputting a reset signal or command.

[0040] This situation will be explained using the sequence diagram shown in FIG. Here, as shown in S201 and S202, it is assumed that the digital camera 100 transmits and receives messages to and from the same external device through both the second communication unit 112 and the first communication unit 111. Note that the second communication unit 112 and the first communication unit 111 may establish connections with different external devices.

[0041] The second communication control unit 101b controls the second communication unit 112 of the communication circuit 110 to provide the digital camera 100 with a wireless LAN communication function. The first communication control unit 101a controls the first communication unit 111 of the communication circuit 110 to provide the digital camera 100 with a Bluetooth (BT) communication function.

[0042] The power supply control unit 101c switches the operation mode of the control unit 101 between a normal mode and a power saving mode in which the control unit 101 remains in a sleep state until a specific interrupt is detected. The power supply control unit 101c also stops (OFF) and starts (ON) the operation of the power supply circuit 113 of the communication circuit 110 in response to an ON or OFF request for the communication unit received from the first communication control unit 101a and the second communication control unit 101b.

[0043] In this embodiment, the communication circuit 110 has a configuration in which one power supply circuit 113 collectively supplies power to the first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112. Therefore, the first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112 cannot be individually operated (ON) or stopped (OFF). However, the power supply control unit 101c individually manages the ON and OFF of the first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112 based on an ON request (operation request) or an OFF request (operation stop request) from the communication control unit for each communication unit.

[0044] Specifically, the power supply control unit 101c manages a communication unit that is in the OFF state and has not received an ON request as OFF, even if the communication unit is actually ON because power is being supplied due to other communication units being ON. Also, the power supply control unit 101c manages a communication unit that is in the ON state and has received an OFF request as OFF, even if the communication unit is not actually OFF because other communication units are ON.

[0045] Furthermore, the power supply control unit 101c turns on the power supply circuit 113 only when it receives a communication unit ON request from any of the communication control units for the first time while the power supply circuit 113 is OFF (a state in which operation has stopped and power is not being supplied to all communication units). This causes the power supply circuit 113 to start operating and to start supplying power to all notification units. However, if a request to turn on the communication units is made while the power supply circuit 113 is already ON, the power supply control unit 101c simply sends a communication unit ON notification (notification of the start of operation) to the request source and does not change the state of the power supply circuit 113.

[0046] Similarly, when the power supply control unit 101c is requested to turn off the communication unit while the power supply circuit 113 is on, if one or more other communication units are on, it sends a communication unit off notification (notification of operation stop) to the requestor without turning off the power supply circuit 113.

[0047] Such operation of the power supply control unit 101c enables the first communication control unit 101a and the second communication control unit 101b to operate without being aware of whether the power supply circuit 113 is a shared circuit for multiple communication units or whether an independent power supply circuit is provided for each communication unit.

[0048] Next, abnormality detection in the communication circuit 110 will be described. When the first communication control unit 101a transmits a message addressed to an external device or a control message addressed to the communication circuit 110 (S203), it waits for reception of an Ack message (S204). If the Ack message is not received within a certain time after transmitting the message, the first communication control unit 101a determines that some abnormality has occurred in the communication circuit 110 (S206).

[0049] If the message sent from first communication control unit 101a in S203 is addressed to an external device and an Ack message is not received within a certain period of time, it is unclear whether the message was sent from communication circuit 110 to the external device (S205). There are various reasons why the Ack message cannot be received correctly. For example, the Ack message cannot be received correctly if the entire communication circuit 110 is frozen, if only the first communication unit 111 is frozen, or if the message data becomes abnormal due to noise and is discarded.

[0050] If a communication abnormality is also detected in the second communication control unit 101b, it is highly likely that the entire communication circuit 110 has frozen. In this case, for example, the entire communication circuit 110 can be reset by turning it OFF and then ON again to attempt to resume communication. However, if a communication abnormality is detected only in the first communication control unit 101a, it is possible that the second communication control unit 112 is operating normally.

[0051] When the first communication control unit 101a detects a communication abnormality, it stops Bluetooth communication (S207) and then forcibly turns off the power circuit 113 via the power control unit 101c in order to reset the first communication unit 111 (S208, S209, S210). This stops the power supply not only to the first communication unit 111 but also to the second communication unit 112, forcing the wireless LAN communication to be disconnected (S211). When the second communication control unit 101b detects the disconnection of the wireless LAN communication (S212), it attempts to reconnect (S213). However, reconnection is not possible until the power supply to the second communication unit 112 is resumed. As a result, the service to the external device provided via wireless LAN communication (e.g., transfer of image data) is abnormally terminated, and the user must restart the service via wireless LAN communication.

[0052] In this embodiment, a control method is provided that, when one communication control unit detects a communication abnormality, can reset the corresponding communication unit without affecting the operation of the other communication units. As an example, the following describes a case where the first communication control unit 101a detects a communication abnormality, but the same applies to a case where the second communication control unit 101b detects a communication abnormality.

[0053] FIG. 3 is a flowchart relating to the operation of the first communication control unit 101a (control unit 101) of this embodiment. In S301, the first communication control unit 101a transmits a message addressed to an external device or the communication circuit 110 to the communication circuit 110. In S302, the first communication control unit 101a determines whether an Ack message is received within a predetermined time period after the message is sent. If an Ack message is received within the predetermined time period, the message is considered to have been sent normally, and the process waits for the next message to be sent (normal end).

[0054] On the other hand, if it is determined that an Ack message has not been received within a certain period of time since the message was sent, the first communication control unit 101a executes S303 and determines that some kind of abnormality has occurred in the communication circuit 110.

[0055] In S305, the first communication control unit 101a executes a process to stop communication by the first communication unit 111. As a result, the first communication unit 111 will not perform communication operations even if power is supplied (it will also not accept communication requests from external devices).

[0056] Then, in S307, the first communication control unit 101a transmits to the power supply control unit 101c a request to turn off the first communication unit 111. As will be described later, when the power supply control unit 101c receives the power supply OFF request for the first communication unit 111, it keeps the power supply circuit 113 ON or turns it OFF depending on the state of the second communication unit 112, and transmits an OFF notification (notification of operation stop) of the first communication unit 111 to the request source.

[0057] In S308, when the first communication control unit 101a receives a power OFF notification of the first communication unit 111 from the power control unit 101c, the first communication control unit 101a recognizes that the first communication unit 111 is OFF (a state in which the power supply to the first communication unit 111 is stopped). However, there are cases in which the first communication unit 111 is not actually OFF.

[0058] In S309, the first communication control unit 101a determines whether another communication unit (second communication unit 112) is operating. For example, the first communication control unit 101a can determine whether the second communication unit 112 is operating by inquiring of the state (ON, OFF) of the second communication unit 112 from the power control unit 101c. Note that instead of determining whether the second communication unit 112 is operating, it may determine whether the second communication control unit 101b is communicating. Because both the first communication control unit 101a and the second communication control unit 101b are actually realized by the control unit 101, the first communication control unit 101a can easily know whether the second communication control unit 101b is communicating. Note that the second communication control unit 101b turns off the second communication unit 112 to reduce power consumption when not communicating. Therefore, if the second communication control unit 101b is not communicating with an external device, the second communication unit 112 is turned off.

[0059] The first communication control unit 101a executes S314 if it determines that the second communication unit 112 is operating (or communicating), and executes S310 if it determines that the second communication unit 112 is not operating (or not communicating).

[0060] When S310 is executed, the power supply circuit 113 is turned off in response to the OFF request for the first communication unit 111 transmitted in S307, and the supply of power is stopped, so that the first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112 are not operating. In S310, the first communication control unit 101a transmits an ON request for the first communication unit 111 to the power supply control unit 101c. Upon receiving the ON request for the first communication unit 111, the power supply control unit 101c turns on the power supply circuit 113 and transmits an ON notification (notification of the start of operation) of the first communication unit 111 to the request source.

[0061] In S311, the first communication control unit 101a receives from the power control unit 101c a power-on notification of the first communication unit 111. As a result, the first communication control unit 101a recognizes that the reset of the first communication unit 111 has been completed.

[0062] In S313, the first communication control unit 101a starts Bluetooth communication using the first communication unit 111. Specifically, the start of Bluetooth communication may be the start of periodic broadcasting of an advertising signal. This corresponds to a standby state for a communication request from an external device.

[0063] On the other hand, in S314, the first communication control unit 101a turns on (sets to true) a start suspension flag assigned to a predetermined address in the work memory 104. The start suspension flag will be described later.

[0064] In S316, the first communication control unit 101a determines whether or not the second communication control unit 101b has transmitted an OFF request for the second communication unit 112 to the power supply control unit 101c. Since both the first communication control unit 101a and the second communication control unit 101b are actually realized by the control unit 101, the first communication control unit 101a can easily know whether or not the second communication control unit 101b has transmitted an OFF request for the second communication unit 112.

[0065] If the first communication control unit 101a determines that the second communication control unit 101b has transmitted an OFF request for the second communication unit 112, it executes the processes from S310 onwards. On the other hand, if the first communication control unit 101a does not determine that the second communication control unit 101b has transmitted an OFF request for the second communication unit 112, it executes S318.

[0066] In S318, the first communication control unit 101a determines whether the power of the digital camera 100 has been turned off due to operation of the power switch 105d or due to no operation being performed on the operation unit 105 for a certain period of time. If it is determined that the power of the digital camera 100 has been turned off, the first communication control unit 101a executes S320, and if not, executes S316 again.

[0067] In S320, the first communication control unit 101a turns the start suspension flag OFF (sets it to a false value). When the digital camera 100 is powered OFF, the first communication control unit 101a cannot wait for the second communication unit 112 to stop operating. Therefore, the start suspension flag is kept OFF so that the first communication control unit 101a can start communication normally the next time the digital camera 100 is powered ON.

[0068] If power OFF of the digital camera 100 is detected in S318, the first communication control unit 101a stops communication of the first communication unit 111 in S305. Therefore, even if power supply to the first communication unit 111 continues while the digital camera 100 is powered OFF, the digital camera 100 cannot be started from an external device. Next, when the digital camera 100 is powered ON, the first communication unit 111 starts up normally and begins to accept communication requests from external devices.

[0069] In this way, when the first communication control unit 101a turns off the power supply to the first communication unit 111 in order to reset the first communication unit 111, it confirms that no other communication units are operating before transmitting to the power supply control unit 101c a request to turn off the first communication unit 111. Therefore, even if the first communication unit 111 to be reset shares a circuit with other communication units, it is possible to reset the first communication unit 111 without affecting the communications of the other communication units.

[0070] Next, the operation of the power supply control unit 101c will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In S415, the power supply control unit 101c determines whether or not an ON request for the first communication unit 111 or the second communication unit 112 has been received, and if it is determined that it has been received, executes S416, and if not, executes S420.

[0071] In S416, the power supply control unit 101c increments the value of a power supply counter assigned to a predetermined address in the work memory 104, for example. The initial value of the power supply counter is 0, and is incremented by 1 in response to receiving an ON request from the first communication unit 111 and an ON request from the second communication unit 112, and is decremented by 1 in response to receiving an OFF request. The value of the power supply counter indicates the number of communication units that are currently ON. Therefore, the maximum value of the power supply counter is equal to the total number of communication units (2 in this case) that the communication circuit 110 has.

[0072] In S417, the power supply control unit 101c determines whether the value of the power supply counter is 1 or not, and if it is determined to be 1, executes S418, and if not, executes S419. S418 is executed when the value of the power counter was 0 before the power ON request was received in S415. In this case, all communication units are OFF, and therefore the power circuit 113 is OFF. Therefore, the power control unit 101c turns ON the power circuit 113, and then executes S419.

[0073] In S419, the power supply control unit 101c transmits an ON notification (notification of the start of operation) of the requested communication unit to the requester of the ON request for the communication unit received in S415. Here, S419 is executed regardless of whether S418 is executed. This is to prevent the operation of the communication control unit from being affected by whether the communication circuit 110 is configured to be able to independently control the ON / OFF of each communication unit. Therefore, if one of the first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112 is already ON and an ON request for the other communication unit is received, although the other communication unit is already ON, the requesting communication control unit recognizes that the communication unit is ON at the time of receiving the ON notification.

[0074] In S420, the power supply control unit 101c determines whether or not an OFF request has been received from the first communication unit 111 or the second communication unit 112, and if it is determined that it has been received, executes S421, and if not, executes S415 again.

[0075] In S421, the power supply control unit 101c decrements the value of the power supply counter by 1, and then executes S422. In S422, the power supply control unit 101c determines whether the value of the power supply counter is 0 or not, and if it is determined to be 0, executes S423, and if not, executes S424.

[0076] S423 is executed when all communication units are turned off in response to the power-off request received in S420. Therefore, the power control unit 101c turns off the power circuit 113 and then executes S424.

[0077] In S424, the power supply control unit 101c transmits an OFF notification (notification of operation stop) of the requested communication unit to the requester of the OFF request of the communication unit received in S420. S424 is executed regardless of whether S423 is executed. This is to prevent the operation of the communication control unit from being affected by whether the communication circuit 110 is configured to be able to independently control the ON / OFF of each communication unit. If an OFF request is received for one of the communication units when both the first communication unit 111 and the second communication unit 112 are ON, that communication unit is not actually turned OFF, but the requesting communication control unit recognizes that the communication unit has been turned OFF at the time it receives the OFF notification. Thereafter, the power supply control unit 101c repeatedly executes the process from S415.

[0078] (Variation 1) 3, a request to turn off first communication unit 111 is transmitted before determining whether second communication unit 112 is operating. However, a request to turn off first communication unit 111 may be transmitted after it is confirmed that second communication unit 112 is not operating. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, after communication by first communication unit 111 is stopped in S305, it may be determined in S309 whether second communication unit 112 is operating.

[0079] (Variation 2) In this embodiment, if a communication unit that is not the reset target is in operation, the process waits for the end of operation (detection of an OFF request). Therefore, if there is a communication unit that is always operating, the communication unit that is the reset target cannot be reset. For example, this may occur when the second communication control unit 101b in this embodiment detects a communication abnormality and attempts to reset the second communication unit 112, but the first communication unit 111 is always operating. In such a case, the determination condition of S309 can be changed.

[0080] For example, in S309, it is determined whether the active communication unit is in data communication with an external device, and if it is determined that data communication is not in progress, S310 can be executed. For example, it can be determined that a communication unit that falls under any of the following conditions is not in data communication. A connection with an external device has been established, but no data has been sent or received for a certain period of time. - The device is operating in a standby state or other state where no connection to an external device has been established. - Operating in energy saving mode or sleep mode

[0081] These states can be detected by known methods. Alternatively, each communication control unit may monitor the state of the corresponding communication unit and store information indicating the state of the communication unit in the working memory 104 so that each communication control unit can refer to it.

[0082] In addition, in S309, it may be determined whether the operating communication unit is a communication unit that has been set in advance and that will have little impact even if communication is interrupted, and if it is determined that the communication unit is a communication unit that will have little impact even if communication is interrupted, S310 may be executed. For example, a communication unit that is used for communication that is not highly important, a communication unit that uses a communication method that is easy to reconnect, or the like may be set as a communication unit that will have little impact even if communication is interrupted.

[0083] According to this embodiment, in a communication device having a communication circuit including a shared circuit for both a circuit for communication by a first method and a circuit for communication by a second method, the circuit related to communication by one method is reset after confirming that communication by the other method is not being performed, so that the circuit related to communication by one method can be reset without affecting communication by the other method.

[0084] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0085] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to clarify the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 100... digital camera, 101... control unit, 101a... first communication control unit 101, 101b... second communication control unit 101b, 101c... power supply control unit, 110... communication circuit, 111... first communication unit, 112... second communication unit, 113... power supply circuit

Claims

1. a communication circuit including a first communication unit for communication in a first method, a second communication unit for communication in a second method, and a shared circuit for the first communication unit and the second communication unit; a first communication control means for controlling communication of the first method; a second communication control means for controlling communication of the second method, A communication device characterized in that, when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the communication circuit, the first communication control means confirms that communication using the second method is not being performed and then resets the first communication unit.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the communication circuit, if communication using the second method is being performed, the first communication control means resets the first communication unit after the communication is terminated.

3. 3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first communication control means determines that communication according to the second method is not being performed if the second communication unit is not in operation.

4. 3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first communication control means determines that communication using the second method is not being performed if the second communication control means is not in communication.

5. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first communication control means determines that communication using the second method is not being performed if a connection between the second communication unit and an external device is not established.

6. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first communication control means determines that communication using the second method is not being performed if the second communication unit is operating in an energy saving mode or a sleep state.

7. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first communication control means determines that communication using the second method is not being performed when the second communication unit is pre-set to be a communication unit that is less affected even if communication is interrupted.

8. 8. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the shared circuit is a power supply circuit that supplies power to the first communication unit and the second communication unit collectively.

9. further comprising a power supply control means for controlling the operation of the shared circuit; when the power supply control means receives a request to stop operation of one of the communication units while the first communication unit and the second communication unit are operating, the power supply control means does not stop the operation of the one of the communication units, but notifies a source of the request to stop operation of the one of the communication units.

9. The communication device according to claim 8.

10. further comprising a power supply control means for controlling the operation of the shared circuit; when the power supply control means receives an operation request for one of the communication units while the first communication unit and the second communication unit are operating, the power supply control means notifies a source of the operation request of the start of operation of the one of the communication units without changing the state of the shared circuit.

10. The communication device according to claim 8 or 9.

11. further comprising a power supply control means for controlling the operation of the shared circuit; when the power supply control means receives an operation request for one of the communication units while the first communication unit and the second communication unit are stopped, the power supply control means starts supplying power from the shared circuit and notifies a requester of the operation request that the one of the communication units has started operating.

11. The communication device according to claim 8, wherein the communication device is a communication device.

12. further comprising a power supply control means for controlling the operation of the shared circuit; when the power supply control means receives a request to stop operation of one of the first communication unit and the second communication unit while the operation of the other communication unit is stopped, the power supply control means stops the supply of power from the shared circuit and notifies a source of the operation stop request that the operation of the one communication unit has been stopped.

12. The communication device according to claim 8, wherein the communication device is a communication device.

13. 13. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first method is a Bluetooth standard and the second method is a wireless LAN standard.

14. 14. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication circuit is in the form of a single semiconductor package.

15. A communication method executed by a communication device using a communication circuit having a first communication unit for communication of a first method, a second communication unit for communication of a second method, and a shared circuit for the first communication unit and the second communication unit, A communication method characterized by comprising a step of resetting the first communication unit after confirming that communication using the second method is not being performed when an abnormality is detected in communication using the first method.

16. A program for causing a computer included in a communication device to function as each of the means included in the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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