JP2005141850A - Information reproduction system, information reproduction drive control method, program for executing the method, and computer-readable recording medium storing the program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED To provide an information reproduction system capable of suppressing power consumption and maintaining sufficient performance, an information reproduction drive control method, a program for executing the method, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program The purpose is to provide.
According to the information reproduction drive control method of the present invention, the host device determines the type of power supplied to the information reproduction device, and notifies the information reproduction device of the determined type of power. Then, the upper limit of the reproduction speed of the optical disc is limited by the type of power source notified from the host device by the information reproducing apparatus.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an information reproduction system, an information reproduction method, a program for executing the method, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program, and more specifically, an optical disc drive apparatus such as a DVD reproduction apparatus and a CD reproduction apparatus, and a battery The present invention relates to a technology for reducing power consumption in a notebook PC that operates by driving.

  In recent years, drive devices capable of reproducing data from a recording medium such as an optical disk have been steadily increasing in speed, and the disk reproduction speed has been increased. In addition, notebook PCs that can be driven by a battery have become widespread, and accordingly, reduction of power consumption of drive devices is regarded as important. In view of this, for example, some drive devices have been proposed that have a function of shifting to a low power consumption mode when the disk is not accessed for a certain period of time or when the disk is not inserted.

Patent document 1 as one of the conventional examples has a power source detection means for detecting the type of power source used in the drive device, and controls to change the performance of the drive device based on the detection signal. As a result, it operates in a high-performance high-speed operation mode when using a commercial power supply, and operates in a low-power operation mode that saves power when using a battery.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-087818

  However, even the information reproducing apparatus having the function of shifting to the low power consumption mode as described above consumes more power because reading is performed at the highest speed when accessing the disk for data reproduction or the like. . Further, since the CD-ROM drive device in Patent Document 1 is operated by the power supply from the host computer, the power supplied to the CD-ROM drive device is stabilized and supplied by the host computer. In other words, when AC power is used, the DC power is rectified and stabilized before being supplied to the CD-ROM drive device, and when using a DC power source battery is stabilized and then supplied to the CD-ROM drive device. Is. Therefore, since the power supplied to the CD-ROM drive is a stabilized DC power supply, it is difficult for the CD-ROM drive itself to detect the type of power used by the host computer. Furthermore, since the notebook PC can be easily carried, it is used in such a way that it is switched to battery driving in the middle of AC power driving, or conversely switched to AC power in the middle of battery driving. There is a case. However, for example, when switching to battery driving in the middle of AC power driving, the playback speed is not limited, so more power is consumed, and switching to AC power in the middle of battery driving In this case, since the reproduction speed is limited, there is a problem that sufficient performance cannot be obtained when reading data.

  The present invention is intended to solve these problems, an information reproduction system capable of suppressing power consumption and maintaining sufficient performance, an information reproduction drive control method, a program for executing the method, and the program It is an object of the present invention to provide a computer-readable recording medium that stores information.

  In order to solve the above problems, an information reproduction system of the present invention is constructed including a host device and an information reproduction device that can connect a plurality of types of power supplies and reproduce data from an optical disc. Yes. According to the information reproducing system of the present invention, the host device notifies the information reproducing device of the type of power supplied to the information reproducing device and the type of power determined by the determining unit. The information reproducing apparatus is characterized by having a reproduction speed upper limit means for limiting the upper limit of the reproduction speed of the optical disc according to the type of power source notified by the notification means from the host device. Therefore, for example, when the battery is driven, the drive device limits the upper limit of the disk reproduction speed, so that the disk can be accessed at a low speed, so that power consumption can be suppressed.

  In addition, the information reproducing apparatus includes a release unit that releases the restriction on the upper limit of the reproduction speed of the optical disk by the reproduction speed upper limit restriction unit according to the type of power notified by the notification unit from the host device. When switching to the AC power source, sufficient performance can be obtained at the time of data reading by removing the restriction on the upper limit of the reproduction speed.

  Furthermore, by providing a selection means that enables selection of whether or not to limit the upper limit of the reproduction speed of the optical disk by the reproduction speed upper limit restriction means, the user to use can select whether low power consumption priority or performance priority. Operability can be improved.

  Further, by providing a playback speed upper limit setting means for variably setting the upper limit of the playback speed of the optical disk according to the amount of data read from the optical disk, it is possible to appropriately set the power consumption and performance.

  In addition, there is provided control pattern selection means for creating the upper limit of the reproduction speed of the optical disk by the reproduction speed upper limit setting means in advance with a plurality of control patterns according to the amount of data read from the optical disk, and selecting from the plurality of control patterns. Accordingly, the upper limit value of the reproduction speed of a complicated optical disk can be set more easily and appropriately, and the operability is improved.

  According to the present invention, power consumption can be suppressed and sufficient performance can be maintained.

  According to the information reproduction drive control method of the present invention, the host device determines the type of power supplied to the information reproduction device, and notifies the information reproduction device of the determined type of power. Then, the upper limit of the reproduction speed of the optical disk is limited by the type of power source notified from the host apparatus by the information reproducing apparatus.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system configuration of an information reproduction system to which an information reproduction drive control method of the present invention is applied. Here, the information reproduction system shown in the figure is a system constructed by connecting the information reproduction apparatus 100 and the host computer 300 via a host interface (hereinafter abbreviated as host I / F). First, in the information reproducing apparatus 100, the optical disc 200 is driven to rotate by the motor 11. The motor 11 is controlled by the rotation control unit 12 so that the linear velocity or the angular velocity is constant. This linear velocity or angular velocity can be changed in stages. The pickup 13 has a function of irradiating the optical disc 200 with laser light by the laser driving circuit 14 and reading data. The actuator controller 15 controls the laser spot so that it is located at the target location. The reproduction data obtained by the pickup 13 is controlled by the signal control unit 16. The drive controller 18 controls whether the reproduction data is stored in the buffer memory 17 as it is, or whether it is stored in the buffer memory 17 after performing the data expansion processing or the like. The drive controller 18 controls the entire optical information reproducing apparatus, and performs processing by a built-in CPU based on a program for executing the information reproducing drive control method of the present invention stored in a built-in ROM. Further, the drive controller 18 receives the ATAPI command through the ATAPI controller 19 to control the start of processing by the CPU based on the program for executing the information reproduction drive control method of the present invention stored in the ROM, Data stored in the memory 17 is read out and transmission to the host computer 300 is controlled via the ATAPI controller 19 and the host I / F. The host I / F connecting the optical information reproducing apparatus 100 and the host computer 300 includes ATAPI, SCSI, USB, IEEE1394, and the like.

Next, the operation of the information reproduction drive control method according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the outline of the information reproduction drive control method of this embodiment will be described. As described above, the information reproduction apparatus in the conventional information reproduction system cannot know the power state of the host computer. Therefore, even when the battery is driven, when the disk is accessed for data reproduction or the like, reading is performed at the highest speed, thereby accelerating battery consumption. Therefore, in the present invention, the host computer notifies the information reproducing apparatus of the type of power supply, and by limiting the upper limit of the reproduction speed of the optical disc in the information reproducing apparatus according to the notified type of power supply, Consume consumption. In FIG. 2, first, the ATAPI command shown in FIG. 3 for notifying the information reproducing apparatus 100 of the type of power supply is received from the host computer 300 of FIG. 1 (step S101), and the transfer power supply type shown in FIG. The type of the power source used by referring to is grasped (step S102). If the power source used is a battery (step S103; YES), the upper limit of the reproduction speed is limited to a predetermined speed to suppress power consumption (step S102). Further, when the power source used is not a battery but an AC power source (step S103; NO), the upper limit of the reproduction speed is not limited, so that sufficient performance can be obtained.

Next, the operation of the information reproduction drive control method according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the outline of the information reproduction drive control method of the present embodiment will be described. In the notebook type PC that can be easily carried as described above, the type of power supply may be changed during use. . Even in such a case, in this embodiment, power consumption is suppressed according to the changed power supply, or sufficient performance can be obtained at the time of data reading. The host computer 300 in FIG. 1 constantly monitors the power supply state. When the power supply type is changed, the ATAPI command shown in FIG. 3 is transmitted to the information reproducing apparatus 100 side. By receiving the command, the information reproducing apparatus 100 can know that the type of power supply has been changed. In FIG. 5, first, the ATAPI command in FIG. 3 for notifying the information reproducing apparatus 100 of the power state is received from the host computer 300 in FIG. 1 (step S201), and referring to the power supply type of transfer data in FIG. The type of power supply being used is grasped (step S202). If the power source used is a battery (step S203; YES), it is checked whether the upper limit of the playback speed has already been limited (step S204), and if the upper limit of the playback speed is not limited. (Step S204; NO), the upper limit of the reproduction speed is limited to a predetermined speed (Step S205), and the power consumption is suppressed. Even when the changed power source is not a battery but an AC power source (step S203; NO), it is checked whether the upper limit of the playback speed is restricted (step S206), and the upper limit of the playback speed is a predetermined speed. (Step S206; YES), the restriction on the playback speed is released (step S207), so that sufficient performance can be obtained.

  In each of the above embodiments, since the upper limit of the playback speed is limited when the battery is driven, the power consumption is suppressed, but the playback performance is degraded. However, for example, when the battery is driven and only used for a short time, it may be better to prioritize performance than to reduce power consumption, so the user can select whether to prioritize low power consumption or performance. Means may be provided in the information reproducing apparatus 100 or the host computer 300. Therefore, when the user selects battery-driven performance priority, the information reproducing apparatus 100 reproduces the data by prohibiting the host computer 300 in FIG. 1 from transmitting the ATAPI command in FIG. 3 to the information reproducing apparatus 100. The upper limit of speed is no longer limited, and performance can be prioritized. Here, the selection means that can be selected by the user as described above is preferably a simple method that can be set from the OS or an application program.

  Further, the transfer data shown in FIG. 4 may have a control pattern as shown in FIG. 6, and the information reproducing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 may determine the upper limit speed limit of the reproduction speed according to the setting value of the Power Saving Level field of the data. .

  Furthermore, in each embodiment, when an example of a predetermined rotational speed in the case of setting an upper limit is shown, as can be seen from FIG. 7 showing the relationship between the current, rotational speed, output, and efficiency with respect to the torque of the motor 11 in FIG. The point (efficiency Max) at which the efficiency of the motor 11, for example, a spindle motor (DC motor) is maximized is between the no-load rotation speed and the maximum output rotation speed. The output is maximized at half the no-load rotational speed. However, since an optical disk is usually mounted on the spindle motor, it is not unloaded and does not have an ideal relationship as shown in the drawing. Therefore, the predetermined rotation speed for setting the upper limit is set so that the efficiency of the entire apparatus is maximized. Specifically, it is set between the no-load rotation speed (maximum rotation speed) and the maximum output rotation speed. Alternatively, it is set between a no-load rotation speed and a half of the no-load rotation speed. Furthermore, it may be set between the maximum rotation speed and the maximum output rotation speed when an optical disk is mounted. Further, since the irradiation time of the laser beam becomes longer as the rotation speed becomes slower, the power consumption due to the irradiation of the laser beam must be taken into consideration. That is, if the output of the laser power is kept constant even when the rotation speed is changed, the irradiation time of the laser beam is doubled when the rotation speed is halved, and thus doubles the power consumption. Therefore, the information playback apparatus 100 or the host computer 300 may be provided with a playback speed upper limit setting means for variably setting the upper limit rotation speed in accordance with the amount of data to be read. For example, when reading more than a predetermined amount of data, it rotates to the no-load rotation speed side even between the no-load rotation speed (maximum rotation speed) and the maximum output rotation speed (or a rotation speed that is 1/2 of the no-load rotation speed). A speed is set, and if it is less than a predetermined amount, the rotational speed is set on the maximum output rotational speed side.

  Next, FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a specific apparatus configuration for starting a program for executing each embodiment of the information reproduction drive control method of the present invention. That is, this figure shows hardware constructed from a microprocessor or the like that executes software according to the information reproduction drive control method in the above embodiment. In the figure, the information reproduction drive control system includes an interface (hereinafter abbreviated as I / F) 81, a CPU 82, a ROM 83, a RAM 84, a display device 85, a hard disk 86, a keyboard 87, and a CD-ROM drive 88. Also, a general-purpose processing device is prepared, and a readable recording medium 89 such as a CD-ROM stores a program for executing the information reproduction drive control method of the present invention. Furthermore, a control signal is input from an external device via the I / F 81, and an instruction from the operator or a program of the present invention is automatically activated by the keyboard 87. Then, the CPU 82 performs control processing according to the above-described information reproduction drive control method according to the program, stores the processing result in a storage device such as the RAM 84 or the hard disk 86, and outputs it to the display device 85 or the like as necessary. As described above, by using the recording medium recorded with the program for executing the information reproduction drive control method of the present invention, it is possible to construct a general control system without changing the existing system.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, It cannot be overemphasized that various deformation | transformation and substitution are possible if it is description in a claim.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the optical information reproduction | regeneration apparatus to which the information reproduction drive control method of this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the information reproduction drive control method which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of an ATAPI command. It is a figure which shows an example of transfer data. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the information reproduction drive control method which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows another example of transfer data. It is a characteristic view which shows the relationship between the electric current with respect to the torque of a motor, a rotational speed, an output, and efficiency. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the specific apparatus for starting the program which performs each Example of the information reproduction drive control method of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

11; motor, 12; rotation control unit, 13; pickup,
14; laser drive circuit, 15; actuator control unit,
16; signal control unit, 17; buffer memory, 18; drive controller,
19; ATAPI controller, 100; optical information reproducing apparatus, 200; optical disc,
300: Host computer.

Claims (8)

In an information reproduction system constructed by including a host device and an information reproduction device that can connect a plurality of types of power supplies and reproduce data from an optical disc.
The host device includes a determination unit that determines the type of power supplied to the information reproduction device, and a notification unit that notifies the information reproduction device of the type of power determined by the determination unit,
The information reproducing system includes an information reproducing system that restricts an upper limit of an optical disk reproducing speed according to a type of power notified from the host device by the notifying unit.   2. The information reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information reproducing apparatus includes a releasing unit that releases the restriction on the upper limit of the reproducing speed of the optical disc by the reproducing speed upper limit restricting unit according to a type of power notified from the host device by the notifying unit. system.   2. The information reproduction system according to claim 1, further comprising selection means for selecting whether or not to limit the upper limit of the reproduction speed of the optical disk by the reproduction speed upper limit restriction means.   4. The information reproduction system according to claim 1, further comprising reproduction speed upper limit setting means for variably setting an upper limit of the reproduction speed of the optical disk in accordance with the amount of data read from the optical disk.   The control pattern selection means for creating the upper limit value of the reproduction speed of the optical disk by the reproduction speed upper limit setting means in advance with a plurality of control patterns according to the amount of data read from the optical disk and selecting from the plurality of control patterns. 4. The information reproduction system according to 4. An information reproducing system constructed by including a host device and an information reproducing device to which a plurality of types of power sources can be connected and reproduces data from the optical disc, wherein the optical disc is reproduced in the information reproducing device In the information reproduction drive control method for controlling the rotational drive of
A determining step of determining the type of power supplied to the information reproducing device by the host device;
A notification step of notifying the information reproducing apparatus of the determined power source type;
And a playback speed upper limit limiting step of limiting an upper limit of the playback speed of the optical disc according to the type of power supply notified from the host device by the information playback apparatus. An information reproducing system constructed by including a host device and an information reproducing device to which a plurality of types of power sources can be connected and reproduces data from the optical disc, wherein the optical disc is reproduced in the information reproducing device In the information reproduction drive control method for controlling the rotational drive of
A discriminating function for discriminating the type of power supplied from the host device to the information reproducing device by the computer; a notification function for notifying the information reproducing device of the type of power source discriminated by the discriminating function; and the information reproducing And a playback speed upper limit function for limiting the upper limit of the playback speed of the optical disc according to the type of power source notified by the notification function from the host device in the apparatus. . A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing the information reproduction drive control method according to claim 7.

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