Wireless communication apparatus

• US 6,510,316 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2000
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Shimizu, Tomoyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILORD, MARCEAU
• Application Number:
  US09/541,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20020068553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/412, 455/422, 455/426, 455/435, 455/575, 711/103, 711/153, 711/173
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0614 Improving the reliability of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/102 External programming circuits, e.g. EPROM programmers; In-circuit programming or reprogramming; EPROM emulators
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/105 Circuits or methods for updating contents of nonvolatile memory, especially with 'security' features to ensure reliable replacement, i.e. preventing that old data is lost before new data is reliably written
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones

Abstract

The wireless communication apparatus has a flash memory in which a plurality of sectors are formed to make partitions so that at least two of the sectors are allocated for storing the positional record information. The positional-record information is stored in one of the at least two allocated sectors, whereas at least one of the remaining sectors are controlled so as to be used as an empty sector storing no information. When positional-record information for updating is given, the information is updated and stored in at least one of the remaining sectors, that is, in the aforementioned empty sector. After updating and storing of the information is completed, the information stored in the sector storing the pre-update positional-record information is eliminated. Although it takes a long time to eliminate the information stored in the sector, the above arrangement does not require the processing of eliminating the information during the period between the starting of updating the positional-record information and the completion of updating and storing the information in the flash memory. As a result, the time required for updating the positional-record information can be reduced.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a non-volatile flash memory, in which a plurality of sectors capable of storing one or more pieces of information are formed to be partitioned;

a sector controlling unit for controlling the sectors in such a manner that at least one of the plurality of the sectors stores updatable information, and at least one of the remaining sectors stores no information so that the at least one of the remaining sectors becomes empty;

an update controlling unit for updating/storing the updatable information in a specified empty sector of the plurality of sectors after receiving a command for updating the updatable information; and

an information-elimination controlling unit which eliminates the information stored in the said specified sector based on a command given from the sector controlling unit so as to make the sector empty, directly following and in response to updating and storing of the updatable information.

2. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an information reading unit for reading out all the information stored in the sector where the updatable information as an object to be updated is stored, based on a command from the update controlling unit, when the command for updating the updatable information is received;

an information modifying unit for modifying the read-out updatable information; and

an information writing unit for updating/storing the information including the modified updatable information stored in the sector into a specified empty sector of the plurality of sectors.

3. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the updatable information is one of positional-record information and area information concerning the wireless communication apparatus.

4. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information-elimination controlling unit eliminates the information stored in the sector targeted for information elimination during an idle period in which the wireless communication apparatus is not performing information processing.

5. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information-elimination controlling unit eliminates the information stored in the sector targeted for information elimination during an idle period in which the wireless communication apparatus is not performing information processing.

6. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information-elimination controlling unit eliminates the information stored in the sector targeted for information elimination during an idle period in which the wireless communication apparatus is not performing information processing.

7. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the updatable information is one of positional-record information and area information concerning the wireless communication apparatus.

8. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the information-elimination controlling unit eliminates the information stored in the sector targeted for information elimination during an idle period in which the wireless communication apparatus is not performing information processing.