JP2003308205A - How to pause the program - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide a method of temporarily suspending a program running in a predetermined system, the method being capable of improving the perceived speed of the suspension process. SOLUTION: The system receives a suspension request signal, the system displays a window for confirming suspension when receiving the suspension request signal, and after displaying the window, Or
A method of suspending a program running on a predetermined system by executing a process of suspending the running program in parallel with the display of the window.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a program suspension method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For the purpose of providing a program that does not depend on a computer platform such as hardware or OS, a virtual machine (VM) is constructed on each platform by a software or hardware method. , A method of executing an intermediate code between the source code and the object code on this virtual machine has been proposed.

According to the above method, a single code can be supplied to and executed on various platforms, and the efficiency of software development can be improved as compared with the case where the code unique to each of the various platforms is supplied. It is possible to greatly improve. One of the programming languages that employs such a method is the Java (R) language that employs an intermediate code format called a class file.

The Java (R) language is characterized by being object-oriented in addition to executing in the form of intermediate code, and the program is highly reusable. Furthermore, in an execution environment equipped with a Java (R) virtual machine, a class library that realizes a GUI (Graphical User Interface) function is used to
It also has a feature that a UI can be easily realized.

By the way, in the case of suspending an application being executed in a system using a GUI,
The system that received the suspension instruction performs processing for suspending the application (for example, stopping the thread,
It is usual to display a window for confirming the suspension after executing (saving, saving, etc. of data). Then, when the suspension is confirmed in this window, the application is shifted from the execution state to the suspension state, and when the suspension is canceled, the execution of the application is continued.

However, in the case of performing the pause in the above procedure, for example, the application is temporarily paused between the time when the user performs a key input for the pause and the window for confirming the pause is displayed. There is a time lag as much as the processing for stopping is executed. Such a time lag is not a problem because it is extremely short in a system using a processor with a high processing capacity or a large capacity of memory, but in a system with a limited hardware configuration, the user experiences slowness in processing. Can be a factor.

For example, recently, it has become common to mount a liquid crystal display device or the like in order to realize a GUI in a mobile phone terminal and execute a desired application using a processor for communication control or the like. In addition, the Java (R) virtual machine described above is installed in the Java (R)
In some cases, the application created in the language is configured to be executable. However, in the current mobile phone terminals, applications are executed using the surplus processing capacity of the communication control processor, and due to cost reasons, a processor with high processing capacity and a large capacity memory should be installed. I can't. For this reason, the sensational speed when the program is temporarily stopped in the above-described procedure in the mobile phone terminal becomes extremely slow.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a method for temporarily stopping a program being executed in a predetermined system, which temporarily improves the temporary processing of the program. The purpose is to provide a stopping method.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems The inventors of the present invention have conducted studies to solve the above problems and obtained the following findings. A user who has input a command to suspend the program normally confirms the suspension in a suspension confirmation window displayed thereafter. However, the operation for confirming the suspension must be performed after the suspension confirmation window is displayed. It is expected that this waiting time will be perceived as longer than the actual time, because the operation of fixing the pause itself is repeated each time. Therefore, even if the time required to complete the pause is the same, the longer the time lag between the input of the instruction to pause the program and the display of the pause confirmation window, the longer the user will experience the pause. The processing speed is considered to be slow.

Based on the above findings, the first aspect of the present invention is, in a method for temporarily suspending a program running on a predetermined system, the step of receiving a pause request signal by the system, Upon receiving the suspension request signal, a step of displaying a window for confirming the suspension, and after the window is displayed or in parallel with the display of the window, the system suspends the program. And a step of executing a process for performing the process.

A second aspect of the present invention is a method for temporarily stopping a program running on a system mounted on an embedded device, wherein the system receives a temporary stop request signal, and the system further comprises: Upon receiving the suspension request signal, a step of displaying a window for confirming the suspension, and after the window is displayed or in parallel with the display of the window, the system temporarily suspends the program. And a step of executing processing for stopping the program.

According to the above-mentioned configuration, when the system displays the window for confirming the temporary stop upon receiving the temporary stop request signal, or in parallel with the display of the window, the system is being executed. Since the process to suspend the program is executed, the window for confirming the suspension can be displayed prior to the process to suspend the running program, and the system receives the suspension request signal. After that, it is possible to shorten the time until the window for confirming the suspension is displayed. The time required for the pause process that the user can experience is largely dependent on the time until the window for confirming the pause is displayed. Can be improved.

A portable telephone terminal is suitable as the embedded device in the second aspect of the present invention. By doing so, even when various types of applications are executed by using the processor mounted on the mobile phone terminal, it is possible to improve the perceptual processing speed when the applications are temporarily stopped.

Further, if the program is a program forming a Java (R) virtual machine for executing a predetermined intermediate code, the execution of an application written in the Java (R) language is suspended at an excellent sensation speed. It becomes possible.

In the above configuration, the term "system" refers to the entire information processing system that executes a program, and is interpreted as being limited to specific hardware or software included in the information processing system. is not. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention has a certain effect that the sensation speed of the pause process can be improved by executing the above steps as a whole system, and the effect is influenced by the subject who executes the above steps. It is not something.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a mobile phone terminal 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a network configuration, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an intermediate code execution system 100 incorporated in the mobile phone terminal 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile telephone terminal 1 is provided with a wireless communication network 2
It also has a function of connecting to a server 4 that provides information via the network 3.

The radio communication network 2 is a communication network such as a mobile communication system composed of a plurality of radio base stations,
The mobile phone terminal 1 connected to the wireless communication network 2 can communicate with another mobile phone terminal or a fixed phone terminal connected to the wireless communication network 2, and can also communicate with a network 3 described later. is there.

Although the network 3 is assumed to be the Internet, it may be a predetermined local network, and the server 4 on this network 3 provides various services to the mobile phone terminal 1, for example, an application for adding the function of the mobile phone terminal 1. We provide download services and homepage data distribution services.

Further, as shown in FIG.
Is a storage unit 11, an input unit 12, and a display unit 13.
And a communication means 14 for exchanging information with the outside and a processing means 15 for controlling the operation of each of these means. Further, among these, the storage means 11 and the processing means 15 are used as resources, and the intermediate code execution system 1 shown in FIG.
00 is configured. The intermediate code execution system 100 will be described later.

The storage means 11 is an SRAM or a DRA.
It has RAM such as M, SDRAM, FCRAM, and ROM such as flash memory (all are not shown).
The ROM is mainly used as a storage for a program that realizes various functions, and the RAM is mainly used as a work when the program is executed. Also, the storage means 11
May have a configuration in which a memory card that is removable via a connector is provided as necessary.

The input means 12 is means for inputting data such as a telephone number, URL, mail address and the like to the mobile telephone terminal 1, and examples thereof include keys, buttons and dials.

The display means 13 is a liquid crystal display device for displaying an operation menu screen of the mobile phone terminal 1, information such as operation mode / status / communication status, mail contents and Web contents, and further an application screen. The display means 13 enables processing using the GUI in the mobile phone 1.

The communication means 14 transmits and receives information to and from the outside, has a function of communicating with other terminals via the wireless communication network 2, and also via the wireless communication network 2. And a function for connecting to the network 3.

The processing means 15 inputs the input means 1 according to a predetermined program stored in the ROM of the storage means 11.
2. By processing the information input from the communication unit 13 and the like to control the operations of the storage unit 11, the display unit 13, the communication unit 14, and the like, the mobile phone terminal 1 realizes various functions. More specifically, in the present embodiment, a basic program such as an OS (Operating System) is stored in the ROM of the storage unit 11, and the processing unit 15 executes the OS program when the mobile phone terminal 1 is powered on. In this configuration, system tasks for performing various controls are activated. Note that, here, the task (group) operating to realize the original function of the mobile phone terminal 1 is referred to as a system task. The processing means 15 can be, for example, a processor such as a CPU or MPU. Further, as the OS, a multitask OS compatible with real-time processing such as ITRON is suitable.

Further, in the present embodiment, the processing means 1
By executing the program stored in the ROM of the storage means 11 by 5, the Java processing is performed on the processing means 15.
The (R) virtual machine (VM) 21 can be constructed by software, and thus the intermediate code execution system 100 shown in FIG. 2 is configured. This intermediate code execution system 100, as shown in FIG.
An application created with ava (R) (hereinafter J
a storage means 11 storing a class file 22 which is an intermediate code obtained by compiling a source code of an ava (R) application), a processing means 15,
It is composed of a Java (R) virtual machine 21.

In the intermediate code execution system 100 having such a configuration, the Java (R) virtual machine 21 sequentially fetches the bytecode instructions from the class file 22, specifies the type of the fetched instructions, and executes the processing sequentially. By doing so, the Java (R) application can be executed. At this time, R of the storage means 11
The AM is used as a heap for executing the class file 22 by the Java (R) virtual machine 21.
Further, when executing the Java (R) application, the class file library stored in the ROM of the storage unit 11 is appropriately used.

Hereinafter, the above intermediate code execution system 10 will be described.
0, Java (R) application execution (class file 2 by Java (R) virtual machine 21
The operation of temporarily stopping (execution of 2) will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the intermediate code execution system 100 executing the Java (R) application, the system task and the task of the Java (R) virtual machine 21 (hereinafter referred to as VM task) are activated by the OS, The Java (R) application is executed on this VM task. Here, in detail, the VM task is a task that executes a program that configures the Java (R) virtual machine 21, and the class file 22 can be expressed as being given as its variable.

In such a state, when a signal for temporarily stopping the Java (R) application is input from the input means 12 or the communication means 14 of the portable telephone terminal 1, the operation of the temporary stop is started, The signal is notified to the system task as a suspension request (ST10).
1). Next, a module for displaying a window for confirming the suspension of the Java (R) application is called from the ROM of the storage means 11 from the system task, and the suspension as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display means 13 of the mobile phone 1. The process of displaying the confirmation window is started (ST102). This pause confirmation window displays "O
A "K" button and a "Cancel" button are formed, and the user can select either of the input means 12 to notify the system task of a request for finalizing the suspension process or a request for cancellation.

After the pause confirmation window is displayed,
Alternatively, in the background of the process of displaying the suspension confirmation window, the system task notifies the VM task of the suspension request (ST103). When the VM task receives the notification of the suspension request, the Ja running on the VM task
The program of the va (R) virtual machine 21 calls the pause () method from the class file 22 and executes it to perform processing such as stopping the thread used during execution of the class file 22 and saving / saving data (ST104). ).

When the pause () method finishes the series of processing and returns a value, the VM task notifies the system task that the processing for suspension is completed (ST10).
5). Upon receiving this notification, the system task judges whether "OK" or "Cancel" has been selected in the suspension confirmation window (ST106), and "OK" is selected to notify the suspension confirmation request. If so, the VM task is shifted from the execution state to the suspension state (ST107), and the suspension operation of the Java (R) application is ended.

On the other hand, in the pause confirmation window, "Can
If “ncel” is selected and the request to cancel the suspension is notified, the system task notifies the VM task of the restart request, and the class file 22 resumes () from the class file 22 to the program of the Java (R) virtual machine 21. The method is called (ST108), processing such as thread restart and data restoration is performed, and execution of the Java (R) application is continued.

Note that the pause () method and resume () method described above are the RO of the storage means 11.
A class file 22 stored in M is overridden in the class file 22 and can be preferably used, but the class file library is not limited to this.

According to the above pause operation, J
The pause confirmation window is paused after the operation to pause the ava (R) application is started.
() Since the method is executed prior to the execution of the method, it is possible to reduce the time required from the user operating the input means 14 to displaying the pause confirmation window. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the waiting time from when the user inputs the command for suspension to when the suspension is confirmed, and thereby to improve the perceptual speed of the suspension processing.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but various modifications can be made. For example, the present invention may be applied to a general computer system,
In addition to the mobile phone terminal as in the above embodiment, AV equipment such as CD player, MD player, DVD player, digital camera, digital TV, digital video, next-generation audio equipment, microwave oven, refrigerator, rice cooker, washing machine White goods such as home appliances, home gateway devices such as set top boxes, game consoles, home servers, pagers, P
It can also be applied to a method for temporarily stopping a program in an embedded device such as a mobile terminal such as a DA (portable information terminal) / car navigation system.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the program is temporarily stopped on the intermediate code execution system which may be a factor of overhead is shown, and the present invention exerts an extremely excellent effect in such a case. But
The present invention is not limited to the method of temporarily stopping the program on the intermediate code execution system.

In the above embodiment, Java is used.
Although the software-configured interpreter is used as the (R) virtual machine, a part or all of the Java (R) virtual machine may be configured by hardware. Further, the Java (R) virtual machine can be configured by using a compiler method such as JIT or AOT instead of the interpreter method, or can be configured by a method using both the interpreter and the compiler. Furthermore, the intermediate code execution system 100 is Java (R)
It is also possible to correspond to a language other than.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the OS is installed in the intermediate code execution system and the temporary stop confirmation window is displayed on the system task side of the OS is shown. However, the temporary stop confirmation window is, for example, the VM task side. So J
It may be displayed from the program of the ava (R) virtual machine, and mounting of the OS is not essential. However, O
When S is not installed, the OS described in the above embodiment
It is necessary to implement the function that is substantially equivalent to the above by another method.

[0039]

According to the present invention, when the system displays the window for confirming the suspension upon receipt of the suspension request signal, or in parallel with the display of the window, the system is being executed. Since the process of suspending the program is executed, the window for confirming the suspension can be displayed with priority over the process of suspending the running program, and the system receives the suspend request signal. It is possible to shorten the time from when the window for confirming the suspension is displayed until the window is displayed. The time required for the pause process that the user can experience is largely dependent on the time until the window for confirming the pause is displayed. Can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a mobile phone terminal 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a network configuration.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an intermediate code execution system 100 incorporated in the mobile phone terminal 1 shown in FIG.

3 is a flowchart of a pause operation in the intermediate code execution system 100 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a pause confirmation window.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Mobile phone terminal 11 storage means 12 Input means 13 Display means 14 Communication means 15 Processing means 2 wireless communication network 3 network 4 servers 100 Intermediate code execution system 21 Java (R) Virtual Machine 22 class files

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method for temporarily stopping a program running on a predetermined system, the system receiving a pause request signal, and the system receiving the pause request signal as a trigger.
A step of displaying a window for confirming suspension, and a step of executing a process of suspending the program being executed by the system after the window is displayed or in parallel with the display of the window. A method for temporarily stopping a program, comprising: 2. A method for temporarily suspending a program running on a system mounted on an embedded device, the system receiving a pause request signal, and the system receiving the pause request signal. To
A step of displaying a window for confirming suspension, and a step of causing the system to suspend the program after the window is displayed or in parallel with the window display A method of suspending a program characterized by. 3. The program suspension method according to claim 2, wherein the embedded device is a mobile phone terminal. 4. The program suspending method according to claim 1, wherein the program is a Java (R) virtual machine that executes a predetermined intermediate code.