Information-processing apparatus, information-processing method, and program

• US 8,918,556 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2009
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kosaka, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US12/590,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20100141387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,875 Days
• Field of Search: 710/105, 710/106, 710/110, 710/305, 710/260, 710/261, 710 33- 35, 710/48
• US Class Current: 710/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/24 using interrupt G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/32 using combination of interrupt and burst mode transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An information-processing method performed in an information-processing apparatus, the information-processing apparatus performing wireless communication with a first apparatus and wire communication with a second apparatus, the information-processing method including the steps of:

• transmitting an interrupt signal to the second apparatus by using the wire communication when data is received from the first apparatus;
• receiving, by using the wire communication, a clock signal from the second apparatus which receives the interrupt signal; and
• transmitting and receiving, by using the wire communication, data between the information-processing apparatus and the second apparatus.

Claims

1. An information-processing apparatus, comprising:

communication means configured to communicate with a reader/writer;

a module configured to control the communication means;

a processing means configured to transmit and receive data to and from the module, respectively;

an interrupt-signal output means configured to generate output of an interrupt signal from the module to the processing means when the communication means receives data from the reader/writer;

a clock-signal output means configured to generate output of a clock signal from the processing means to the module when the interrupt signal is received;

a data output means configured to generate output of data, in synchronization with the clock signal, from the module to the processing means or from the processing means to the module; and

a switching-signal output means through which the processing means outputs a switching signal used for switching the direction of data transmission and reception;

wherein output data transmitted from the reader/writer for receipt by the module by way of the communication means includes data-length data, command data, and main data, in which the data-length data indicates a data length of the main data to be transmitted to the processing means,

wherein upon receipt of the output data the module analyzes the command data and (i) when a result of the analysis indicates that the main data should be supplied to the processing means the module supplies the data-length data and the main data to the processing means and does not supply the command data to the processing means and (ii) when the result of the analysis indicates that the main data should not be supplied to the processing means the module does not supply the main data to the processing means,

wherein the module outputs the interrupt signal, and transmits the data-length data when the clock signal is received; and

the processing means counts the data length of the main data, after the data-length data indicating the data length is received, and determines the termination of the data output from the module when the count value is equal to or greater than the data length indicated by the data-length data, and the module detects that data is transmitted from the processing means or detects that data transmission from the processing means is terminated based on a changeover in a state of the switching signal.

2. The information-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication means receives a polling request from the reader/writer and transmits a polling response from the module to the reader/writer in response to receiving the polling request, the data being transmitted by the reader/writer in response to receiving the polling response.

3. An information-processing apparatus, comprising:

a first line, included in a predetermined interface, for transmitting an interrupt signal to a second apparatus, connected using the interface, when data is received from a first apparatus;

a second line, included in the interface, for receiving a clock signal from the second apparatus;

a third line, included in the interface, for transmitting and receiving data between the information-processing apparatus and the second apparatus; and

a fourth line, included in the interface, for receiving a signal from the second apparatus, the signal indicating whether data is to be transmitted to or received from the second apparatus,

wherein based on a changeover of the signal transmitted through the fourth line, it is detected that data is to be transmitted from the second apparatus or data transmission therefrom is terminated,

wherein the data from the first apparatus includes data-length data, command data, and main data, in which the data-length data indicates a data length of the main data to be transmitted to the second apparatus,

wherein upon receipt of the data the information-processing apparatus analyzes the command data and (i) when a result of the analysis indicates that the main data should be supplied to the second apparatus the information-processing apparatus supplies the data-length data and the main data to the second apparatus and does not supply the command data to the second apparatus and (ii) when the result of the analysis indicates that the main data should not be supplied to the second apparatus the information-processing apparatus does not supply the main data to the second apparatus.

4. The information-processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the clock signal is received from the second apparatus through the second line after the interrupt signal is transmitted to the second apparatus through the first line;

and the data length of data is transmitted to the second apparatus through the third line after the clock signal is received, the data being transmitted to the second apparatus through the third line in synchronization with the clock signal.

5. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having stored thereon a computer readable program configured to cause an information-processing apparatus to execute processing for performing wireless communication with a first apparatus and wire communication with a second apparatus, the processing comprising:

transmitting an interrupt signal to the second apparatus using the wire communication when data is received from the first apparatus;

receiving, using the wire communication, a clock signal from the second apparatus which receives the interrupt signal;

transmitting and receiving, using the wire communication, data between the information-processing apparatus and the second apparatus;

receiving a signal from the second apparatus, the signal indicating whether data is to be transmitted to or received from the second apparatus; and

detecting, based on a changeover of the signal transmitted, that data is to be transmitted from the second apparatus or that data transmission therefrom is terminated,

wherein the data from the first apparatus includes data-length data, command data, and main data, in which the data-length data indicates a data length of the main data to be transmitted to the second apparatus,

wherein upon receipt of the data the information-processing apparatus analyzes the command data and (i) when a result of the analysis indicates that the main data should be supplied to the second apparatus the information-processing apparatus supplies the data-length data and the main data to the second apparatus and does not supply the command data to the second apparatus and (ii) when the result of the analysis indicates that the main data should not be supplied to the second apparatus the information-processing apparatus does not supply the main data to the second apparatus.

6. An information-processing apparatus, comprising:

a first line, included in a predetermined interface, for receiving an interrupt signal from a second apparatus, connected using the interface, when the second apparatus receives data from a first apparatus;

a second line, included in the interface, for transmitting a clock signal to the second apparatus;

a third line, included in the interface, for transmitting and receiving data between the information-processing apparatus and the second apparatus; and

a fourth line, included in the interface, for transmitting a signal to the second apparatus, the signal indicating whether data is to be transmitted to or received from the second apparatus,

wherein on based on a changeover in a state of the signal transmitted through the fourth line, it is detected that data is to be transmitted to the second apparatus or data transmission thereto is terminated,

wherein the data from the first apparatus includes data-length data, command data, and main data, in which the data-length data indicates a data length of the main data to be transmitted to the second apparatus,

wherein upon receipt of the data the second apparatus analyzes the command data and (i) when a result of the analysis indicates that the main data should be supplied to the information-processing apparatus the second apparatus supplies the data-length data and the main data to the information-processing apparatus and does not supply the command data to the information-processing apparatus and (ii) when the result of the analysis indicates that the main data should not be supplied to the information-processing apparatus the second apparatus does not supply the main data to the information-processing apparatus.

7. The information-processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the clock signal is transmitted to the second apparatus through the second line after the interrupt signal is received from the second apparatus through the first line;

the data-length data is received from the second apparatus through the third line after the clock signal is transmitted, the latter data being transmitted from the second apparatus through the third line in synchronization with the clock signal; and

the data length of data, the data being transmitted from the second apparatus, is counted after the data-length data is received, and the termination of data transmission from the second apparatus is determined when the count value is equal to or greater than the data length indicated by the received data-length data.

8. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having stored thereon a computer readable program configured to cause an information-processing apparatus to execute processing for performing wireless communication with a first apparatus and wire communication with a second apparatus, the processing comprising:

receiving an interrupt signal at the second apparatus using the wire communication when the information-processing apparatus receives data from the first apparatus;

transmitting, using the wire communication, a clock signal to the information-processing apparatus when the interrupt signal is received;

transmitting and receiving, using the wire communication, data between the information-processing apparatus and the second apparatus;

receiving a signal from the second apparatus, the signal indicating whether data is to be transmitted to or received from the second apparatus; and

detecting, based on a changeover of the signal transmitted, that data is to be transmitted from the second apparatus or that data transmission therefrom is terminated,

wherein the data from the first apparatus includes data-length data, command data, and main data, in which the data-length data indicates a data length of the main data to be transmitted to the second apparatus,

wherein upon receipt of the data the second apparatus analyzes the command data and (i) when a result of the analysis indicates that the main data should be supplied to the information-processing apparatus the second apparatus supplies the data-length data and the main data to the information-processing apparatus and does not supply the command data to the information-processing apparatus and (ii) when the result of the analysis indicates that the main data should not be supplied to the information-processing apparatus the second apparatus does not supply the main data to the information-processing apparatus.

9. An information-processing apparatus, comprising:

a communication unit configured to communicate with a reader/writer;

a module configured to control the communication unit;

a processing unit configured to transmit and receive data to and from the module, respectively;

an interrupt-signal output unit configured to generate output of an interrupt signal from the module to the processing unit when the communication unit receives data from the reader/writer;

a clock-signal output unit configured to generate output of a clock signal from the processing unit to the module when the interrupt signal is received;

a data output unit configured to generate output of data, in synchronization with the clock signal, from the module to the processing unit or from the processing unit to the module; and

a switching-signal output unit through which the processing unit outputs a switching signal used for switching the direction of data transmission and reception;

wherein output data transmitted from the reader/writer for receipt by the module by way of the communication unit includes data-length data, command data, and main data, in which the data-length data indicates a data length of the main data to be transmitted to the processing unit,

wherein upon receipt of the output data the module analyzes the command data and (i) when a result of the analysis indicates that the main data should be supplied to the processing unit the module supplies the data-length data and the main data to the processing unit and does not supply the command data to the processing unit and (ii) when the result of the analysis indicates that the main data should not be supplied to the processing unit the module does not supply the main data to the processing unit,

wherein the module outputs the interrupt signal, and transmits the data-length data when the clock signal is received; and

the processing unit counts the data length of the main data, after the data-length data indicating the data length is received, and determines the termination of data output from the module when the count value is equal to or greater than the data length indicated by the data-length data, and the module detects that data is transmitted from the processing unit or detects that data transmission from the processing unit is terminated based on a changeover in a state of the switching signal.