JP3865677B2 - Peripheral equipment and its control technology - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technology for power supply in a peripheral device whose power supply is limited. Specifically, in accordance with a predetermined standard such as the USB standard or IEEE1394, the peripheral device that receives power supply in addition to transmission / reception of information is provided. It relates to power supply technology.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as an interface for connecting a peripheral device to a personal computer, there is an interface having a power line for supplying power from the personal computer to the peripheral device together with a signal line for transmitting and receiving data. For example, the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard has been proposed and adopted for various peripheral devices. The connection cable based on the USB standard includes a signal line and a power line, and power can be supplied from the personal computer as a host to the peripheral device via the connection cable. In the USB standard, it is possible to supply power to peripheral devices up to at least 500 mA in consideration of the power supply load on the host side. On the host side, when the load current of the connected peripheral device exceeds the limit value, a protection circuit that cuts off the power supply to the peripheral device is activated.
[0003]
By adopting such USB standards, peripheral devices that receive power supply from the host side include hard disk drives (HDD), magneto-optical disk drives (MOD), DVD drives, CD drives, flexible disk drives (FDD), printers, scanners, etc. Peripherals have been proposed. Also, a standard such as IEEE 1394, which excels in transferring large volumes of data such as moving image data, has been proposed and used in peripheral devices such as hard disk drives and moving image recording / playback apparatuses.
[0004]
The following documents describe peripheral devices that are connected to a host via a signal line and a power line and receive power supply from the host side via the power line.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-305880
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, if these peripheral devices are equipped with components with large power capacity such as motors, and these components require a large current consumption compared to the rated current, the current supplied to the entire peripheral device is limited. Therefore, there is a problem that it is impossible to secure a current necessary for starting up the component devices, and as a result, normal operation as a peripheral device cannot be guaranteed. For example, in the case of a motor that drives a hard disk, an inrush current that is several times the rated current is required, so even if the inrush current is slightly higher than the current that can be supplied from the host side, it cannot be started up normally. was there.
[0006]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and in peripheral devices in a power supply environment in which current is limited, some of the components of the peripheral devices require a transiently large current consumption. Even in this case, the purpose is to ensure the normal operation of peripheral devices.
[0007]
[Means for solving the problems and their functions and effects]
In order to solve the above-described problem, the peripheral device of the present invention is a peripheral device that operates with power supplied within a predetermined current value range from the host side via a connection cable for transmitting and receiving data to and from the host side. A device having a motor for rotating a disk for recording data, a drive main body for storing data for the host, a bus conversion unit for converting a bus between the host and the drive main body , Based on the start of power supply from the host side , the power supply control unit that distributes the power supplied from the host side to the drive main body and the bus conversion unit, and to the bus conversion unit when the drive main body starts up And a power suppression means for suppressing power.
[0008]
Also, the peripheral device control method of the present invention controls a peripheral device that operates with power supplied within a predetermined current value range from the host side via a connection cable for transmitting and receiving data to and from the host side. The data is stored for the host by a drive body having a motor that rotates a disk for recording data provided in the peripheral device, and the bus conversion unit provided in the peripheral device and the host. When converting the bus to and from the drive body, distributing the power supplied from the host side to the drive body and the bus conversion unit, and starting the drive body based on the start of power supply from the host side The power distributed to the bus conversion unit is suppressed.
[0009]
According to the peripheral device and the control method of the present invention , when the drive body that is the first processing means transiently consumes a current higher than the rated current and starts up , the power to the bus conversion unit that is the second processing means By suppressing this supply, at least a part of the power distributed to the bus converter can be distributed to the drive main body, and a current necessary for starting the drive main body can be secured. As a result, normal operation as a peripheral device can be guaranteed.
[0010]
Here, an example in which the first processing means transiently consumes a current greater than the rated current is when the motor or the like is started. When a device with a large power capacity such as a motor is started, an inrush current exceeding the rated current is consumed transiently. The first processing means having a motor, can be considered an HDD or magnetic disks, such as FDD, MO etc. etc. disc drive for reading and writing information on an optical disk such as a magneto-optical disk and DVD and CD of. Therefore, the normal operation of the peripheral device can be ensured when the motor or the like is activated to consume the inrush current.
[0011]
The peripheral device of the present invention having the above configuration can also take the following modes. The power suppression unit can also suppress power distributed to the bus conversion unit from the start of power supply from the host side until the elapse of a predetermined period. Therefore, when the time during which the current of the drive main body is stabilized is known in advance, the power supply to the bus conversion unit can be suppressed without monitoring the current consumption of the drive main body .
[0012]
The power suppression unit can also suppress power distributed to the bus conversion unit from the start of power supply from the host side until the current consumption of the drive main body decreases to a predetermined current value. Therefore, the power suppression control unit works while the drive body requires current, and it is possible to avoid suppression of excessive power supply to the bus conversion unit .
[0013]
The power suppression means, it is possible to suppress the power delivered to the result bus converting unit to cut off power to be distributed to the bus conversion section. Therefore, more electric power can be supplied to the drive body .
[0014]
As a transient time when the first processing means consumes a current higher than the rated current, it is possible to assume a time when the peripheral device is activated. Therefore, when the first processing means includes a device that consumes an inrush current and power supply is started when the peripheral device is activated, normal operation can be ensured when the peripheral device is activated.
[0015]
The first processing means may include a motor having an inrush current that is at least twice the rated current, and a disk that is rotated by the motor and records information. Therefore, a peripheral device as an external storage device that records information on a disk rotated by a motor requires a more reliable operation so that there is no information recording error, etc., so that the normal operation as a peripheral device is guaranteed. What you can do is a great advantage.
[0016]
The first processing means is a disk drive for reading and writing information on a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk or an optical disk, and the second processing means is a bus for exchanging information between the host and the peripheral device; It is also possible to use bus conversion means for converting a bus for exchanging information inside the first processing means. In this case, such a disk drive cannot process information at the time of spin-up that transiently consumes a current higher than a steady-state current. Even if the power supply of the bus conversion means that performs the above process is suppressed, there is no problem in the information processing, and a current necessary for the disk drive can be secured.
[0017]
The predetermined standard may be a USB standard or an IEEE 1394 standard. The USB standard or the IEEE 1394 standard is adopted by many hosts such as personal computers as an interface for connecting peripheral devices, and the peripheral device of the present invention can be used by more hosts.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described below, a hard disk drive that receives and transmits signals and supplies power according to the USB standard will be described as one of peripheral devices to which the present invention is applied.
[0019]
FIG. 1 is an external view of a hard disk drive 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The hard disk drive 10 includes a compact housing, and an IDE standard drive main body 20 is accommodated therein. On the upper surface of the hard disk drive 10, an access lamp 30 that lights in red when the hard disk drive 10 is accessed from the host and a power lamp 40 that lights in green when the power is turned on are arranged. A connector 50 conforming to the USB standard is arranged on the front surface of the hard disk drive 10. The hard disk drive 10 records data in a nonvolatile manner on a hard disk built in the drive body 20 and reads the recorded data.
[0020]
FIG. 2 is an external view of the personal computer 60 and the connection cable 70 connected to the hard disk drive 10. The connection cable 70 includes a plug 80 connected to a personal computer 60 on the host side or a USB hub (not shown), and a plug 90 connected to a connector 50 on the peripheral device side such as the hard disk drive 10. In the case of the USB standard, the UP-side plug-connector indicating the upper side of the hierarchical structure and the DOWN-side plug-connector indicating the lower side have different shapes.
[0021]
In the hard disk drive 10, the connection cable 70 is connected to the personal computer 60, and the plug 90 of the connection cable 70 is attached to the connector 50 of the hard disk drive 10, and the personal computer 60 is operating and the USB port is activated. Can be used when
[0022]
Next, the internal structure of the hard disk drive 10 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the hard disk drive 10. The connection cable 70 has a hardware configuration conforming to the USB standard, that is, a total of four lines including two data lines DATA +, DATA− and + 5V (USB), and a ground GND. The computer 60 or the USB hub and the hard disk drive 10 are connected. The USB standard signal obtained via the connection cable 70 is converted into an IDE standard signal by the bus conversion unit 100 inside the hard disk drive 10 and is used for exchanging information with the drive body 20.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 3, the hard disk drive 10 includes a drive main body 20, a bus conversion unit 100, a power supply control unit 110, and the like. The drive main body 20 which is the first processing means for processing information by consuming a current exceeding the rated current transiently has a motor 300 for rotating the internal hard disk. When the power is turned on, the motor 300 has a current (so-called inrush) several times the rated current in a transient manner (for example, for about 1 sec) during the spin-up to accelerate the stopped hard disk to a constant speed. Current). The bus conversion unit 100, which is a second processing means for processing information in cooperation with the drive main body 20, is intended to perform mutual conversion between USB and IDE. The bus conversion unit 100 operates by receiving power from the power supply lines + 3.3V and + 2.5V.
[0024]
The power supply control unit 110 is a circuit that operates in response to +5 V (Vcc) obtained from +5 V (USB) power supply, and supplies power to each unit such as the drive main body 20 and the bus conversion unit 100. The power supply control unit 110 is provided with a power suppression control unit 120 and a voltage conversion unit 130. In order to delay the supply of power to the bus conversion unit 100, the power suppression control unit 120 outputs a control signal Vres to the voltage conversion unit 130 after a predetermined time (for example, 4 seconds) has elapsed since the supply of power. . The voltage converter 130 is a direct current stabilized power supply that supplies +3.3 volts and +2.5 volts to the bus converter 100 when receiving the control signal Vres.
[0025]
Next, the operation of the power suppression control unit 120 will be described. FIG. 4 is a detailed circuit diagram of the power suppression control unit 120 and the voltage conversion unit 130. As shown in the figure, the power suppression control unit 120 includes a reset IC 200, which is a retriggerable one-shot multivibrator element that inverts the signal output terminal Vres to a high level after a predetermined delay time from the start of power supply, and an externally attached reset IC 200. The capacitors C1 and C2 and the resistor R1 are included. In addition to the signal output terminal Vres, the reset IC 200 has a power supply terminal Vdd1 to which power is supplied, a ground terminal GND1 to be grounded, and a setting terminal Cd to which a capacitor C2 for setting a delay time is connected. The power supply terminal Vdd1 is connected to a +5 volt power supply line Vcc that is input to the power supply control unit 110. Further, a stabilizing capacitor C1 is connected between the power supply line Vcc and the ground line.
[0026]
The delay time of the reset IC 200 is determined by the capacitance of the capacitor C2 connected to the setting terminal Cd. When the capacitor C2 is charged through a resistor provided inside the reset IC 200 and the terminal voltage becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage, the reset IC 200 turns on a built-in transistor (not shown). The collector of this transistor is connected to the signal output terminal Vres. That is, the signal output terminal Vres of the reset IC 200 is a so-called open collector type. For this reason, the resistor R1 is connected to the signal output terminal Vres for pull-up.
[0027]
FIG. 5 shows the operating state of the reset IC 200. When power is supplied to the power supply terminal Vdd1 of the reset IC 200 (timing t0), charging of the capacitor C2 is started, and the voltage of the setting terminal Cd gradually increases. When this voltage becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined reference voltage (Vref) (timing t1), the signal output terminal Vres is inverted to a high level. The delay time t1 until the high level is inverted is about 4 seconds in this embodiment. This delay time may be determined according to the transient time in the drive main body 20 (time until the inrush current returns to the steady value).
[0028]
Next, the operation of the voltage conversion unit 130 will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated, the voltage conversion unit 130 includes a three-terminal regulator 210 having a chip enable terminal CE2 and external capacitors C3 and C4. The chip enable terminal CE2 is connected to the signal output terminal Vres of the reset IC 200. In addition to the chip enable terminal CE2, the three-terminal regulator 210 includes a power supply terminal Vdd2 to which power is supplied, an output terminal Vout2 for supplying power to the outside, and a ground terminal GND2 to be grounded. The power supply terminal Vdd2 is connected to a +5 volt power supply line Vcc input to the power supply control unit 110. The output terminal Vout2 is connected to a power supply line + 3.3V of +3.3 volts. Stabilizing capacitors C3 and C4 are connected between the power supply lines Vcc and + 3.3V and the ground line, respectively.
The chip enable terminal CE2 is a terminal for setting the three-terminal regulator 210 to an enable state or a disable state, that is, an operable state or a dormant state. When the chip enable terminal CE2 is at a high level, the three-terminal regulator 210 is in an operable state, and the voltage converter 130 can supply stabilized +3.3 volt power to the outside. When the chip enable terminal CE2 is at a low level or when power is not supplied to the power supply terminal Vdd2, power is not supplied from the voltage conversion unit 130 to the power supply line + 3.3V.
[0030]
Further, the voltage conversion unit 130 is provided with a three-terminal regulator 215 that supplies a power of +2.5 volts to the outside and has a chip enable terminal CE3 with the same configuration as the three-terminal regulator 210 described above. The chip enable terminal CE3 is connected to the signal output terminal Vres of the reset IC 200. In addition to the chip enable terminal CE3, the three-terminal regulator 215 includes an output terminal Vout3 that supplies power to the outside. When the chip enable terminal CE3 is at a high level, the voltage conversion unit 130 can supply stabilized +2.5 volt power to the outside. When the chip enable terminal CE3 is at a low level or when no power is supplied to the power supply terminal, no power is supplied from the voltage conversion unit 130 to the power supply line + 2.5V.
[0031]
According to the embodiment described above, the hard disk drive 10 can secure a current required for the drive main body 20 when the drive main body 20 starts up that requires an inrush current for spinning up. That is, in the rated state of the hard disk drive 10, current is supplied to both the drive main body 20 and the bus conversion unit 100, but at the time of startup, supply of current to the bus conversion unit 100 is performed by the operation of the power suppression control unit 120. Is cut off. As a result, the supply of current is concentrated in the drive main body 20, and an inrush current necessary for spin-up can be ensured.
[0032]
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to such embodiment at all, Of course, it can implement with various forms within the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. is there. For example, in the above embodiment, a specific example applied to a hard disk drive has been described. However, the present invention is applied to other peripheral devices such as a magneto-optical disk drive (MOD), a DVD drive, a CD drive, a flexible disk drive (FDD), a printer, and a scanner. It may be applied. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to the USB standard but also to other standards such as the IEEE 1394 standard.
[0033]
In addition, the power suppression control unit 120 is provided with a sensor 310 that detects the current value of the motor 300 provided in the drive main body 20 instead of a predetermined time set in advance as shown in FIG. You may make it suppress electric power supply until it falls to an electric current value. Furthermore, the power supply may be suppressed until the status of the hard disk drive 20 is detected to change from Busy (spin-up state) to Ready (information processing enabled state). On the other hand, the suppression of the power supply is not the interruption of the power supply, but the supplied current value may be suppressed or only a part of the circuits may be supplied. In addition, the target for suppressing the power supply is not limited to the bus conversion unit 100, and may be applied to other electronic components constituting the peripheral device.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external view of a hard disk drive 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an external view of a personal computer 60 and a connection cable 70 connected to the hard disk drive 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal structure of the hard disk drive 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a detailed circuit diagram of a power suppression control unit 120 and a voltage conversion unit 130. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a time chart showing an operation state of the reset IC 200;
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Hard disk drive 20 ... Drive main body 30 ... Access lamp 40 ... Power lamp 50 ... Connector 60 ... Personal computer 70 ... Connection cable 80 ... Plug 90 ... Plug 100 ... Bus conversion part 110 ... Power supply control part 120 ... Power suppression control part 130 ... Voltage converter 200 ... Reset IC
210 ... Three-terminal regulator IC
215 ... Three-terminal regulator IC
300 ... motor 310 ... sensor

Claims (7)

A peripheral device that operates by power supplied within a predetermined current value range from the host side via a connection cable for transmitting and receiving data to and from the host side ,
A drive main body having a motor for rotating a disk for recording data and storing data for the host ;
A bus conversion unit that performs bus conversion between the host and the drive body ;
A power supply control unit that distributes power supplied from the host side to the drive main body and the bus conversion unit ;
Peripheral device comprising: power suppression means for suppressing power distributed to the bus conversion unit when the drive main body is activated based on the start of power supply from the host side . The peripheral device according to claim 1, wherein the power suppression unit suppresses power distributed to the bus conversion unit from a start of power supply from the host side to a lapse of a predetermined period. 2. The peripheral according to claim 1, wherein the power suppression unit suppresses power distributed to the bus conversion unit from a start of power supply from the host side until a current consumption of the drive main body decreases to a predetermined current value. machine. The power suppression unit, before Symbol peripherals according to any one of 3 claims 1 to suppress the power delivered to the depending on the bus conversion section to block the power delivered to the bus conversion section. Disks, magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, peripherals according to any one of claims 1 is at least one of the optical disc 4 the drive body has. The transmission and reception of data between the host side, a peripheral device according to any one of claims 1 performed in compliance with the USB standard or the IEEE1394 standard 5. A method of controlling a peripheral device that operates with power supplied within a predetermined current value range from the host side via a connection cable for transmitting and receiving data to and from the host side ,
Data is stored for the host by a drive body having a motor that rotates a disk for recording data provided in the peripheral device,
The bus conversion unit provided in the peripheral device performs bus conversion between the host and the drive body,
Distributing power supplied from the host side to the drive body and the bus converter,
A peripheral device control method for suppressing power distributed to the bus conversion unit when the drive main body is started based on the start of power supply from the host side .

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