Apparatus and method to drive devices in order to enable rapid booting

• US 8,380,970 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2008
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jang, Dong-jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Suryawanshi, Suresh
• Application Number:
  US12/259,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 713/2
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]

Abstract

A device driving apparatus includes a storage unit to store a plurality of device driving programs, a plurality of devices to receive the plurality of device driving programs, and a switching unit to transfer the plurality of device driving programs.

Claims

1. A device driving apparatus, comprising:

a storage unit to store a plurality of device driving programs;

a plurality of devices to receive one of the plurality of device driving programs from the storage unit and to be booted using the received device driving program; and

a switching unit to sequentially transfer the plurality of device driving programs to the plurality of devices,

wherein the plurality of devices provide a program request signal for the switching unit, and

wherein the storage unit provides the device driving programs for the plurality of devices according to the program request signal selected at the switching unit.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, while one of the plurality of device driving programs transferred to one of the plurality of devices is executed, the switching unit transfers another device driving program to another device.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of devices comprises:

a processor to launch one of the plurality of device driving programs received from the storage unit.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of device driving programs comprise:

a plurality of programs required to boot the plurality of devices and a plurality of programs required to operate the plurality of devices.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of devices receives one of the plurality of device driving programs directly from the storage unit.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of devices is a control unit to control the switching unit to sequentially transfer the plurality of device driving programs to the plurality of devices.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein, if the plurality of devices are completely booted, the control unit receives another device driving program for another device stored in the storage unit and transfers the received device driving program to the other device.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage unit comprises:

a nonvolatile memory.

17. The device driving apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of device driving programs corresponds to the corresponding one of the plurality of devices.

18. The device driving apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of device driving programs are transferred to different corresponding devices.

19. The device driving apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of device driving programs are different from one another to correspond to the different corresponding devices.

20. The device driving apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of device driving programs comprises a first device driving program and a second device driving program;

the plurality of devices comprises a first device and a second device; and

the first device driving program is transferred to the first device to boot the first device, and the second device driving program is transferred to the second device to boot the second device.

21. The device driving apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

one of the plurality of devices comprises a first sub unit and a second sub unit;

one of the plurality of device driving programs is transferred to the one device to sequentially boot the first sub unit and the second sub unit.

22. The device driving apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices comprises a combination of a broadcast receiving unit to receive a broadcast signal, a broadcast processing unit to process the broadcast signal, an interface generating unit to generate a user interface to correspond to the broadcast signal, and a control unit to control the broadcast receiving unit, the broadcast processing unit, and the interface generating unit.

9. A device driving apparatus, comprising:

a storage unit to store a plurality of device driving programs;

at least one device driven by part of the plurality of device driving programs stored in the storage unit; and

a control unit to control the plurality of device driving programs stored in the storage unit to be transferred sequentially to a processor built in the control unit and at least one processor disposed in the at least one device, the control unit being driven by a portion of the plurality of device driving programs stored in the storage unit,

wherein the at least one device or the control unit generates a program request signal, and

wherein the storage unit provides the device driving programs for the at least one device or the control unit according to the program request signal.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit receives one of the plurality of device driving programs, and launches the received device driving program using the built-in processor, and

while one of the plurality of device driving programs is activated by the built-in processor, the control unit controls another device driving program to be transferred to the at least one device.

11. A device driving method, the method comprising:

generating, by one of a plurality of devices, a program request signal for receiving a device driving program;

transferring, by a switching unit, one of a plurality of device driving programs to the one of a plurality of devices according to the program request signal; and

if the transferring is completed, booting the device using the received device driving program and simultaneously transferring another device driving program to another device.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of device driving programs comprise:

a plurality of programs required to boot the plurality of devices; and

a plurality of programs required to operate the plurality of devices.

13. A set-top box (STB) usable with a display device, the set-top box comprising:

a storage unit; and

a plurality of devices including respective processors thereof to share the storage unit and being directly connected to the storage unit, the plurality of devices each generating a program request signal, and

wherein the plurality of devices sequentially receive boot programs from the storage unit to boot the plurality of devices in response to the generated program request signals.

14. The STB as claimed in claim 13, wherein the devices include one or more of a broadcast receiving unit, a control unit and a graphical user interface generating unit.

15. A driving method of a set-top box, the method comprising:

sharing a single storage unit by devices including respective processors;

generating program request signals by the devices; and

sequentially receiving boot programs via a path directly connected from the single storage unit to the devices to boot the devices in response to the generated program request signals.

16. A device driving system, comprising:

a display device; and

a set-top box (STB) to communicate with the display device, the STB comprising;

a storage unit; and

a plurality of devices having respective processors thereof to share the single storage unit and being directly connected to the storage unit, the plurality of devices each generating a program request signal such that the devices sequentially receive boot programs from the storage unit to boot the plurality of devices.

23. A device driving apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of different devices;

a storage unit to store a plurality of different device driving programs to boot the corresponding different devices;

a switching unit to select program request signals received from the plurality of different devices and to sequentially transfer each of the plurality of different device driving programs to a corresponding one of the plurality of different devices according to the selected program request signal.

24. The device driving apparatus of claim 23, wherein the plurality of different devices do not perform a same function, but different functions.