Data accessing method, device in which the data accessing method is executed and recording medium

• US 20070168321A1
• Filed: 04/27/2005
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Hiroshi, Otsuka, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,631,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

[OBJECT] To guarantee a data transfer rate irrespective of a performance of a memory card. [SOLVING MEANS]

A parameter to show a data transfer efficiency is previously recorded in a recording medium 101 in which data is written per data size that can be increased and decreased stepwise and the data transfer efficiency is variable in accordance with the data size. Next, a data accessing apparatus 105 issues a parameter acquisition command to the recording medium 101. The recording medium 101 which received the parameter acquisition command transmits the parameter. The data accessing apparatus 105 collates the received parameter with the data transfer efficiency required in the data to be written/read to thereby select an optimum data size. Then, the data accessing apparatus 105 writes/reads the data to the recording medium 101 based on the selected optimum data size.

Claims

1. A data accessing apparatus for writing/reading data to a recording medium in which the data is written per data size that can be increased and decreased stepwise, a data transfer efficiency at writing the data is variable depending on the data size, and a parameter showing the data transfer efficiency at writing the data per the data size is recorded, comprising:

a device for issuing a parameter acquisition command to the recording medium;

a device for selecting an optimum data size at writing the data by collating the parameter transmitted by the recording medium which received the parameter acquisition command with the data transfer efficiency required in the data to be written/read by the data accessing apparatus; and

a device for writing/reading the data with respect to the recording medium based on the selected optimum data size.

2. A recording medium wherein the data is written in/read from per the data size that can be increased and decreased stepwise by the data access apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

a memory unit in which the parameter is recorded; and

a device for reading the parameter memorized in the memory unit in response to reception of the parameter acquisition command transmitted by the data accessing apparatus and transmitting the read parameter to the data accessing apparatus.

3. The data accessing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the parameter is a table in which the data size and an information on a length of time required for writing/reading the data to the recording medium based on the data size are corresponding to each other.

4. The data accessing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the recording medium is a semiconductor memory, and

the data size is a size corresponding to an integral number of times of an erasing block size of the recording medium.

5. The data accessing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the recording medium is a recording medium of a card type that can be freely attached or removed to the data accessing apparatus.

6. A data accessing apparatus for writing/reading data to a recording medium in which the data is written per data size that can be increased and decreased stepwise, a data transfer efficiency at writing the data is variable depending on the data size, and a parameter showing the data transfer efficiency at writing the data per the data size is recorded, comprising:

a device to transmitting an information showing the necessary data transfer efficiency required in the data to be written/read by the data accessing apparatus; and

a device to set the data size at writing the data based on an information showing an optimum data size transmitted by the recording medium which received the information showing the required data transfer efficiency so as to write/read the data to the recording medium based on the set data size.

7. A recording medium wherein the data is written/read per the data size that can be increased and decreased stepwise by the data access apparatus of claim 6, comprising:

a memory unit in which the parameter is recorded; and

a device for receiving the information to show the data transfer efficiency transmitted by the data accessing apparatus and selecting the optimum data size at writing the data by collating the information showing the required data size transfer efficiency with the parameter memorized in the memory unit; and

a unit to transmit an information on the selected optimum data size to the data accessing apparatus

8. The data accessing apparatus of claim 6, wherein

the parameter is a table in which the data size and an information on a length of time required for writing/reading the data to the recording medium based on the data size are corresponded each other.

9. The data accessing apparatus of claim 6, wherein

the recording medium is a semiconductor memory, and

the data size is a size corresponding to an integral times of an erasing block size of the recording medium.

10. The data accessing apparatus of claim 6, wherein

the recording medium is a recording medium of a card type that can be freely attached or removed to the data accessing apparatus.

11. A data accessing method wherein the data accessing apparatus writes/reads data to a recording medium in which the data is written per data size that can be increased and decreased stepwise and a data transfer efficiency at writing the data is variable in accordance with the data size, comprising:

a step in which a parameter showing the data transfer efficiency is previously recorded into the recording medium at writing the data into the recording medium per the data size;

a step in which the data accessing apparatus transmits a parameter acquisition command to the recording medium at writing/reading the data;

a step in which the recording medium that received the parameter acquisition command transmits the parameter to the data accessing apparatus;

a step in which the data accessing apparatus that received the parameter collates the parameter with the data transfer efficiency required in the data to be written/read by the data accessing apparatus to thereby set an optimum data size at writing the data; and

a step in which the data accessing apparatus writes/reads the data between itself and the recording medium based on the set optimum data size.

12. The data accessing method of claim 11, wherein

the parameter is a table in which the data size and an information on a length of time required for writing/reading the data to the recording medium based on the data size are corresponded each other.

13. The data accessing method of claim 11, wherein

the recording medium is a semiconductor memory, and

the data size is a size corresponding to an integral times of an erasing block size of the recording medium.

14. The data accessing method of claim 11, wherein

the recording medium is a recording medium of a card type that can be freely attached or removed to the data accessing apparatus.

15. A data accessing method wherein the data accessing apparatus writes/reads data to a recording medium in which the data is written per data size that can be increased and decreased stepwise and a data transfer efficiency at writing the data is variable in accordance with the data size, comprising:

a step in which a parameter showing the data transfer efficiency is previously recorded into the recording medium at writing the data into the recording medium per the data size;

a step in which the data accessing apparatus transmits an information to show the data transfer efficiency required in the data to be written/read by the data accessing apparatus to the recording medium at writing the data;

a step in which the recording medium that received the information to show the required data transfer efficiency collates the information concerned with the parameter to thereby select an optimum data size at writing the data;

a step in which the recording medium transmits an information to show the selected optimum data size to the data accessing apparatus; and

a step in which the data accessing apparatus that received the information to show the optimum data size sets the data size at writing the data based on the information showing the optimum data size to thereby write/read the data between itself and the recording medium.

16. The data accessing method of claim 15, wherein

the parameter is a table in which the data size and an information on a length of time required to write/read the data to the recording medium based on the data size are corresponded each other.

17. The data accessing method of claim 15, wherein

the recording medium is a semiconductor memory, and

the data size is a size corresponding to an integral times of an erasing block size of the recording medium.

18. The data accessing method of claim 15, wherein

the recording medium is a recording medium of a card type that can be freely attached or removed to the data accessing apparatus.