Device control system

• US 20030088318A1
• Filed: 10/25/2002
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugita, Hiroshi, Hoshino, Tsutomu, Kaneko, Tomokazu, Takahashi, Hirota, Edogawa, Kazuya, Sonobe, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,176,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24125 Watchdog, check at timed intervals

Abstract

While a general-purpose interface circuit and another general-purpose interface circuit are provided so as to transmit/receive data between a host appliance and a device appliance, when the general-purpose interface of the device appliance happens to hang up, a control section transmits a reset signal via a dedicated interface circuit. When a dedicated interface circuit provided on the side of the device appliance receives this reset signal and then outputs this received reset signal to the general-purpose interface circuit, the general-purpose interface circuit is reinitiated.

Claims

1. A device control system comprising:

a host appliance having a general-purpose interface;

a device appliance having a general-purpose interface; and

a dedicated line connected to the host appliance and the device appliance,

wherein the host appliance and the device appliance are mutually connected to each other via the general-purpose interfaces to transmit/receive data via the general-purpose interfaces;

wherein the dedicated line transmits at least one of a reset signal and a wake-up signal.

2. A device control system comprising:

a host appliance; and

a device appliance,

wherein the host appliance has;

a general-purpose interface circuit for transmitting/receiving data via a general-purpose signal line to/from the device appliance; and

a dedicated interface circuit for transmitting/receiving at least one of a reset signal and a wake-up signal as a control signal to/from the device appliance; and

the device appliance has;

a general-purpose interface circuit for transmitting/receiving data via the general-purpose signal line to/from the host appliance; and

a dedicated interface circuit for transmitting/receiving the control signal to/from the host appliance.

3. The device control system according to claim 2, further comprising a power supply line for supplying electric power therethrough,

wherein the dedicated interface circuits transmit/receive the control signal via the power supply line.

4. A device appliance connected via a general-purpose signal line to a host appliance, the device appliance comprising:

a general-purpose interface circuit for transmitting/receiving data via the general-purpose signal line to/from the host appliance; and

a dedicated interface circuit for transmitting/receiving a control signal via a dedicated line to/from the host appliance.

5. The device appliance according to claim 4,

wherein the device appliance is subject to a control of an power supply state in order to be brought into a power saving state under a predetermined condition;

and

wherein a supply of electric power to the general-purpose interface circuit is stopped based on the control.

6. The device appliance according to claim 5,

wherein when a predetermined wake-up signal is received from the host appliance by the dedicated interface circuit while the device appliance is set under power saving state, the device appliance notifies the reception of the wake-up signal to a control source of the power supply state to restart the supply of the electric power to the general-purpose interface circuit.

7. The device appliance according to claim 4,

wherein when a requirement of transmitting data to the host appliance is made, the device appliance transmits a wake-up signal via the dedicated interface circuit to the host appliance.

8. A device appliance according to claim 4,

wherein when the device appliance detects that an error occurs between a general-purpose interface circuit of the host appliance and the device appliance, the device appliance transmits a reset signal via the dedicated interface circuit to the host appliance.

9. A host appliance connected via a general-purpose signal line to a device appliance, the host appliance comprising:

a general-purpose interface circuit for transmitting/receiving data via the general-purpose signal line to/from the device appliance; and

a dedicated interface circuit for transmitting/receiving a control signal via a dedicated line to/from the device appliance.

10. The host appliance according to claim 9,

wherein while the host appliance is subject to a control of a power supply state in order to be brought into a power saving state under a predetermined condition and a supply of electric power to the general-purpose interface circuit is stopped based on the control to bring the host appliance into the power saving state, when a predetermined wake-up signal is received from the device appliance by the dedicated interface circuit, the host appliance notifies the reception of the wake-up signal to a control source of the power supply state to restart the supply of the electric power to the general-purpose interface circuit.

11. The host appliance according to claim 9,

wherein while the host appliance is subject to a control of a power supply state in order to be brought into a power saving state under a predetermined condition and a supply of electric power to the general-purpose interface circuit is stopped based on the control to bring the host appliance into the power saving state, when a requirement of transmitting data to the device appliance is made, the host appliance transmits a wake-up signal via the dedicated interface circuit to the device appliance.

12. The host appliance according to claim 9,

wherein when the host appliance detects that an error occurs between a general-purpose interface circuit of the device appliance and the host appliance, the host appliance transmits a reset signal via the dedicated interface circuit to the device appliance.