ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20120110296A1
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Harata, Yuzo
• Granted Patent: US 9,032,182 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/06 Addressing a physical block of locations, e.g. base addressing, module addressing, memory dedication G06F12/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A diagnostic tool sends a request format designating a virtual address, which is different from a real address for an EEPROM. When a microcomputer determines that an address designated by the received request format is a virtual address assigned to the EEPROM, the microcomputer executes a process, which is designated by the received request format, with respect to the virtual address assigned to the EEPROM.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a control circuit that

receives a stipulated request format, which is stipulated in a predetermined telecommunications standard and sent by an external instrument, and

executes a process designated by the stipulated request format upon receiving the stipulated request format;

a first storage media of which an address area has a real address that is defined as being designated by the stipulated request format; and

a second storage media of which an address area has a real address that is not defined as being designated by the stipulated request format,

wherein the external instrument is enabled to send the stipulated request format, which is directed to the second storage media, by using a virtual address that is different from the real address of the second storage media,

the control circuit being further configured to

determine whether an address designated by the stipulated request format is a virtual address assigned to the second storage media, and

execute a process, which is designated by the stipulated request format, to the virtual address assigned to the second storage media when determining that the address designated by the request format is the virtual address assigned to the second storage media.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the external instrument is enabled to send the stipulated request format, which is directed to the first storage media, by using a virtual address that is different from the real address of the first storage media,

the control circuit being further configured to

determine whether an address designated by the stipulated request format is a virtual address assigned to the first storage media, and

execute a process, which is designated by the stipulated request format, to the virtual address assigned to the first storage media when determining that the address designated by the request format is the virtual address assigned to the first storage media.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the address area of the virtual address assigned to the second storage media is assigned to be either higher or lower in respect of address order than the address area of the real address assigned to the first storage media.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the address area of the virtual address assigned to the second storage media includes one of

(i) a disable area of a real address assigned to the first storage media,

(ii) an unused area of a real address assigned to the first storage media, and

(iii) a read-out disable area of a real address assigned to the first storage media.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the external instrument sends (i) a first request format that is the stipulated request format designating a real address and (ii) a second request format that is the stipulated request format designating a virtual address, by enabling the first request format and the second request format to be differentiated from each other,

the control circuit being further configured to execute a process designated by a request format received from the external instrument

on a premise that an address designated by the received request format is a real address when determining that the received request format corresponds to the first request format designating the real address, and/or

on a premise that an address designated by the received request format is a virtual address when determining that the received request format corresponds to the second request format designating the virtual address.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 5,

the controller being further configured to differentiate between the first request format designating the real address and the second request format designating the virtual address by determining a difference between a data length of an address designated by the first request format and a data length of an address of the second request format.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the external instrument is enabled to further send a non-stipulated request format that is directed to the second storage media by using a real address of the second storage media, the non-stipulated request format being not stipulated in the predetermined telecommunications standard,

the control circuit being further configured to

determine whether a received request format sent from the external instrument corresponds to the non-stipulated request format designating a real address of the second storage media, and

execute a process designated by the non-stipulated request format to the second storage media when determining that the received request format corresponds to the non-stipulated request format designating the real address of the second storage media.

8. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a control circuit that

receives a stipulated request format, which is stipulated in a predetermined telecommunications standard and sent by an external instrument, and

executes a process designated by the stipulated request format upon receiving the stipulated request format;

a first storage media of which an address area has a real address that is defined as being designated by the stipulated request format; and

a second storage media of which an address area has a real address that is not defined as being designated by the stipulated request format,

wherein the external instrument is enabled to send a non-stipulated request format that is directed to the second storage media by using a real address of the second storage media, the non-stipulated request format being not stipulated in the predetermined telecommunications standard,

the control circuit being further configured to

determine whether a received request format sent from the external instrument corresponds to the non-stipulated request format designating a real address of the second storage media, and

execute a process designated by the non-stipulated request format to the second storage media when determining that the received request format corresponds to the non-stipulated request format designating the real address of the second storage media.

9. An electronic apparatus communicated with an external instrument using a request format to execute a process of read-out of data or writing of data in the electronic apparatus,

the electronic apparatus comprising:

a first storage media of which a first address area is assigned with first real addresses each having a first address length, the first real address and the first address length being defined as being designated within a stipulated request format that is stimulated in a predetermined telecommunications standard;

a second storage media of which a second address area is assigned with second real addresses each having a second address length, the second real address and the second address length being not defined as designated within the stipulated request format; and

a control circuit that

receives the stipulated request format designating the first real address along with the first address data from the external instrument (2), and

executes a process associated with the first real address of the first storage media upon receiving the stipulated request format, the process being designated by the stipulated request format,

wherein the external instrument is enabled to send, in addition to the stipulated request format, a non-stipulated request format, which is directed to the second storage media, by using one of virtual addresses,

the virtual addresses being assigned to a new address area that contains (i) the first address area of the first storage media and (ii) the second address area of the second storage media by defining a third address length that is equal to or longer than the first address length or the second address length, whichever is longer,

the control circuit being further configured to

execute an address determination to determine a determined real address of the first storage media and the second storage media with reference to the new address area, the determined real address corresponding to an address that is designated within a received request format that is the stipulated request format or the non-stipulated request format, whichever is received from the external instrument, and

execute a process associated with the determined real address of the first storage media and the second storage media as a result of executing the address determination, the process being designated by the received request format.