INTERFACE DEVICE, COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM, NON-VOLATILE STORAGE DEVICE, COMMUNICATION MODE SWITCHING METHOD AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT
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Accused Products
Abstract
An interrupt request cannot be transmitted while a data read command or a data write command transmitted from a host device to a slave device is being processed in a half-duplex mode. Disclosed are a host device and a slave device that are set to a full-duplex mode by temporarily switching the communication direction of a first transmission channel or a second transmission channel after completing transmission and reception of a predetermined number of data packets in the half-duplex mode. The host device or the slave device can thus transmit an interrupt request, such as a request associated with a wait status or a busy status, to its communication target using the temporary full-duplex mode. This enables the host device or the slave device to process such an interrupt request during high-speed data transfer performed in the half-duplex mode.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1-22. -22. (canceled)
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23. An interface device that is used in a communications system including at least a first transmission channel and a second transmission channel and transmitting and receiving a command and data using the two transmission channels, the interface device comprising:
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a first channel input/output terminal that is connected to the first transmission channel and is set to at least two statuses including an input status for receiving a command and/or data and an output status for transmitting a command and/or data; a second channel input/output terminal that is connected to the second transmission channel and is set to at least two statuses including an input status for receiving a command and/or data and an output status for transmitting a command and/or data; a mode-switching-condition detection unit that sets a first condition and a second condition and determines whether the set first condition or the set second condition is satisfied, the first condition being a condition under which a communication mode of the communications system is to be switched from a full-duplex communication mode in which the communications system performs full-duplex communication to a half-duplex communication mode in which the communications system performs half-duplex communication, the second condition being a condition under which the communication mode is to be switched from the half-duplex communication mode to the full-duplex communication mode; and a transmission-channel-switching control unit that switches the communication mode from the full-duplex communication mode to the half-duplex communication mode by setting both the first channel input/output terminal and the second channel input/output terminal to an input status or to an output status when the mode-switching-condition detection unit determines that the first condition is satisfied, and switches the communication mode from the half-duplex communication mode to the full-duplex communication mode by setting one of the first channel input/output terminal and the second channel input/output terminal to an output status and setting the other one of the first channel input/output terminal and the second channel input/output terminal to an input status when the mode-switching-condition detection unit determines that the second condition is satisfied. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A communication mode switching method used in a communications system including at least a first transmission channel and a second transmission channel and transmitting and receiving a command and data using the two transmission channels, the method comprising:
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setting a first condition and a second condition, and determining whether the set first condition or the set second condition is satisfied, the first condition being a condition under which a communication mode of the communications system is to be switched from a full-duplex communication mode in which the communications system performs full-duplex communication to a half-duplex communication mode in which the communications system performs half-duplex communication, the second condition being a condition under which the communication mode is to be switched from the half-duplex communication mode to the full-duplex communication mode; and switching the communication mode from the full-duplex communication mode to the half-duplex communication mode when the first condition is determined to be satisfied in the mode-switching condition detection step, and switching the communication mode from the half-duplex communication mode to the full-duplex communication mode when the second condition is determined to be satisfied in the mode-switching-condition detection step.
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39. An integrated circuit that is used in an interface device included in a communications system including at least a first transmission channel and a second transmission channel and transmitting and receiving a command and data using the two transmission channels, the interface device including a first channel input/output terminal that is connected to the first transmission channel and is set to at least two statuses including an input status for receiving a command and/or data and an output status for transmitting a command and/or data, and a second channel input/output terminal that is connected to the second transmission channel and is set to at least two statuses including an input status for receiving a command and/or data and an output status for transmitting a command and/or data, the integrated circuit comprising:
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a mode-switching-condition detection unit that sets a first condition and a second condition and determines whether the set first condition or the set second condition is satisfied, the first condition being a condition under which a communication mode of the communications system is to be switched from a full-duplex communication mode in which the communications system performs full-duplex communication to a half-duplex communication mode in which the communications system performs half-duplex communication, the second condition being a condition under which the communication mode is to be switched from the half-duplex communication mode to the full-duplex communication mode; and a transmission-channel-switching control unit that switches the communication mode from the full-duplex communication mode to the half-duplex communication mode by setting both the first channel input/output terminal and the second channel input/output terminal to an input status or to an output status when the mode-switching-condition detection unit determines that the first condition is satisfied, and switches the communication mode from the half-duplex communication mode to the full-duplex communication mode by setting one of the first channel input/output terminal and the second channel input/output terminal to an output status and setting the other one of the first channel input/output terminal and the second channel input/output terminal to an input status when the mode-switching-condition detection unit determines that the second condition is satisfied.
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40. An interface device that is used in a communications system including a low-speed transmission channel and a plurality of high-speed transmission channels and transmitting and receiving a command and data using the low-speed transmission channel or the plurality of high-speed transmission channels, the interface device comprising:
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a low-speed channel input/output terminal that is connected to the low-speed transmission channel and is set to at least two statuses including an input status for receiving a command and/or data and an output status for transmitting a command and/or data; a plurality of high-speed channel input/output terminals that are connected to the high-speed transmission channels and are set to at least two statuses including an input status for receiving a command and/or data and an output status for transmitting a command and/or data; and a transmission-channel-switching control unit that sets an input status and an output status of the low-speed channel input/output terminal and the plurality of high-speed channel input/output terminals independently of each other, and sets the input status and the output status of the low-speed channel input/output terminal and the plurality of high-speed channel input/output terminals based on a full-duplex communication mode in which at least one of the plurality of high-speed channel input/output terminals is set to an output status and the high-speed channel input/output terminals other than the at least one high-speed channel input/output terminals set in the output status are set to an input status, a half-duplex output mode in which all the high-speed channel input/output terminals are set to an output status, and a half-duplex input mode in which all the high-speed channel input/output terminals are set to an input status, wherein the transmission-channel-switching control unit sets the low-speed channel input/output terminal to an input status in the half-duplex output mode, and sets the low-speed channel input/output terminal to an output status in the half-duplex input mode. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification