Communicating apparatus, communication method, program, and communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10942885-B2
Application number	US-201816482637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2018
Priority date	Feb 14, 2017
Publication date	Mar 9, 2021
Grant date	Mar 9, 2021

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a communicating apparatus, a communication method, a program, and a communication system that each enable execution of more reliable communication.
A communicating apparatus includes a transmitting and receiving part that executes transmission and reception of signals with at least one or more other communicating apparatuses through a data signal line and a clock signal line, and an error avoiding part that, in a state where a communication system configured to be able to execute communication through a bus already operates, executes a process of avoiding occurrence of any error occurring when a communicating apparatus is additionally connected to the communication system. This technique is applicable to, for example, a bus IF.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A communicating apparatus comprising:
a transmitting and receiving part configured to execute transmission and reception of signals with at least one or more other communicating apparatuses through a bus, the bus including a data signal line and a dock signal line; and
an error avoiding part configured to execute a process of avoiding occurrence of a detection error,
wherein the detection error is an error wherein the communicating apparatus is additionally connected to the bus, but is not detected by at least one of the other communicating apparatuses that has initiative of communication through the bus, and
the error avoiding part causes the transmitting and receiving part to transmit a signal requesting additional connection to the bus when the error avoiding part detects that a state where potentials of the data signal line and the clock signal line are each at an H-level continues for a time period longer than a predetermined time period, using a fact that the error avoiding part detects that the potentials of the data signal line and the clock signal line are each at an H-level, as a condition for starting counting.

2. The communicating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the error avoiding part is configured to execute the process of avoiding occurrence of the detection error after the bus is already configured.

3. The communicating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when the communicating apparatus has initiative of communication through the bus,
in a case where an other communicating apparatus is likely to be additionally connected to the bus, the error avoiding part restricts a lower limit of a communication speed employed when communication is executed with a low-speed communicating apparatus that executes communication at a speed lower than a communication speed employed in the communication of the other communicating apparatus.

4. The communicating apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the communicating apparatus has information set in advance therein that indicates whether or not the other communicating apparatus is likely to be additionally connected to the bus.

5. The communicating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when the communicating apparatus is configured to have initiative of communication through the bus,
the error avoiding part causes the transmitting and receiving part to regularly transmit an optional polling signal that includes an end signal declaring an end of the communication using the bus.

6. The communicating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the communicating apparatus includes a first communicating apparatus that has initiative of communication through the bus,
the transmitting and receiving part executes transmission and reception of signals with the other communicating apparatuses through the data signal line and the clock signal line that constitute the bus, and
the error avoiding part
in a case where a second communicating apparatus to be additionally connected to the bus does not include a counting part that counts with the detection of the fact that potentials of the data signal line and the clock signal line are each at an H-level as a start of counting, causes the transmitting and receiving part to regularly transmit an optional polling signal including an end signal that declares an end of the communication using the bus, and
in a case where the second communicating apparatus to be additionally connected to the bus includes the counting part that counts with the detection of the fact that the potentials of the data signal line and the clock signal line are each at the H-level as the start of the counting and a low-speed communicating apparatus includes a communicating apparatus executing communication at a speed lower than a communication speed employed in the communication of the second communicating apparatus is connected to the bus, restricts a lower limit of the communication speed employed when communication is executed with the low-speed communicating apparatus.

7. A communication method for a communicating apparatus, the method comprising:
accessing a transmitting and receiving part that is configured to execute transmission and reception of signals with at least one or more other communicating apparatuses through a bus, the bus including a data signal line and a clock signal line; and
executing, by an error avoiding part, a process of avoiding occurrence of a detection error,
wherein the detection error is an error wherein the communicating apparatus is additionally connected to the bus, but is not detected by at least one of the other communicating apparatuses that has initiative of communication through the bus, and
the error avoiding part causes the transmitting and receiving part to transmit a signal requesting additional connection to the bus when the error avoiding part detects that a state where potentials of the data signal line and the clock signal line are each at an H-level continues for a time period longer than a predetermined time period, using a fact that the error avoiding part detects that the potentials of the data signal line and the clock signal line are each at an H-level, as a condition for starting counting.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code for controlling a communicating apparatus, the program code being executable by a computer to perform operations comprising:
accessing a transmitting and receiving part that is configured to execute transmission and reception of signals with at least one or more other communicating apparatuses through a bus, the bus including a data signal line and a clock signal line; and
executing, by an error avoiding part, a process of avoiding occurrence of a detection error,
wherein the detection error is an error wherein the communicating apparatus is additionally connected to the bus, but is not detected by at least one of the other communicating apparatuses that has initiative of communication through the bus, and
the error avoiding part causes the transmitting and receiving part to transmit a signal requesting additional connection to the bus when the error avoiding part detects that a state where potentials of the data signal line and the clock signal line are each at an H-level continues for a time period longer than a predetermined time period, using a fact that the error avoiding part detects that the potentials of the data signal line and the clock signal line are each at an H-level, as a condition for starting counting.

9. A communication system configured to be able to execute communication through a bus using a first communicating apparatus that has initiative of communication through the bus and a second communicating apparatus that executes communication in accordance with control by the first communicating apparatus, wherein
the first communicating apparatus and the second communicating apparatus each include a transmitting and receiving part that executes transmission and reception of signals with at least one or more other communicating apparatuses using the bus, the bus including a data signal line and a clock signal line, and
at least one of the first communicating apparatus or the second communicating apparatus include an error avoiding part that executes a process of avoiding occurrence of a detection error,
wherein the detection error is an error wherein the second communicating apparatus is additionally connected to the bus, but is not detected by the first communicating apparatus, and
the error avoiding part causes the transmitting and receiving part to transmit a signal requesting additional connection to the bus when the error avoiding part detects that a state where potentials of the data signal l

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Takahashi Hiroo
• Yokokawa Takashi
• Hyakudai Toshihisa
• Koshisaka Naohiro

Classifications

• G06F2213/0016

  Inter-integrated circuit (I2C) · CPC title

• G06F13/378

  using a parallel poll method · CPC title

• G06F13/376 Primary

  using a contention resolving method, e.g. collision detection, collision avoidance · CPC title

• G06F11/004 Primary

  Error avoidance (G06F11/07 and subgroups take precedence) · CPC title

• G06F13/4081 Primary

  Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging (current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004) · CPC title