CN1337020A - An electronic device with a display shared by different electronic components - Google Patents

Abstract

The portable electronic device comprises a display device having a screen (2), the display device being configured to respond to display control signals from a plurality of electronic components (6,7) simultaneously so that the screen (2) can be shared by the components. Thus, the components (6,7) are responsible for data/signal processing functions, respectively, and display means are provided such that the different data/signal processing functions of the components (6,7) share the display (2). This is different from a portable computer having an auxiliary card because in a conventional portable computer, a microprocessor of the computer generates a display control signal related to the operation of the auxiliary card.

Description

An electronic device with a display shared by different electronic components

field of invention

The invention relates to an electronic device, which includes a display device and a screen controlled by the display device.

Background technique

A typical portable electronic device such as a palmtop computer or communication device, that is, a computer/mobile phone hybrid, is built on the basis of a microprocessor that runs an operating system such as WindowsCE or EPOC program. The functionality of the electronic device is provided by application programs running in an operating system environment and task-specific hardware such as radio frequency circuits.

One of the most important considerations for portable electronic devices is their battery life. For example, a general-purpose microprocessor consumes considerably more power than an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) that performs the same task.

However, power consumption is not the only consideration, and some applications also require additional speed from custom circuitry compared to general-purpose microprocessors.

Notwithstanding the features described above, the present invention is not limited to portable electronic devices.

Contents of the invention

The electronic equipment according to the present invention is characterized in that: the display device is configured to simultaneously respond to display control signals from multiple electronic components so that the screen can be shared by the components. In this way, each component can have its own responsibility for data/signal processing functions, and a display device can be provided so that the different data/signal processing functions of each component can share the display. This is different from the case of a portable computer with an auxiliary card because in a conventional portable computer, the computer's microprocessor generates display control signals related to the operation of the auxiliary card.

Preferably, at least one of the components is readily disconnectable so that the function performed by the device can be changed. The or each easily disconnectable component may be accommodated by a bay in the body housing the display device. However, there need not be a physical connection between the disconnectable component and the display device. For example, such a connection may be provided by a wireless link such as an IR link.

Preferably, the display device can generate a respective window for each component. More preferably, the window of one component can completely hide the window of another component. More preferably, an audio transducer such as a microphone or speaker and switching means for selectively connecting the audio transducer to the component, the switching means responsive to the display means connecting the audio transducer to the component having the focus window. More preferably a pointing device is included to select a point on the screen and output an indication of the location of the selected point to a display device which is operable to include said location to its window on the basis of said indication. components to send information. The pointing device may include a touch sensitive element coextensive with the screen.

An electronic device according to the invention preferably comprises storage means comprising a memory and means for selectively transferring files from the component to the memory for storage and selectively transferring files from the storage means to the component. More preferably, the memory is a non-volatile solid-state memory.

Preferably, the display means includes memory for storing bitmap images, means for receiving display control signals from the components and setting bits in the memory in accordance with the signals, and means for driving the screen in accordance with the contents of the memory. More preferably, the means for receiving display control signals has separate inputs for each component. But a bus arrangement can be used. More preferably, the display means comprises: pointing means for generating screen position data in response to a point on the screen selected by a user; for determining which component (if any) said screen position data relates to with reference to contents of a memory and The means to send this screen position to that component.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 shows a first electronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the electronic device of FIG. 1;

Figure 3 shows a second electronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the electronic device of FIG. 3 .

Detailed ways

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1, a portable electronic device includes a body 1, which in turn includes: a front 1a, a rear (not shown), a top (not shown), a bottom 1b, a first side 1c, and a second side (not shown). The LCD 2 illuminated from the back is mounted on the front 1a. The speaker 3 is mounted between the rear of the front 1a, between the LCD 2 and the top of the body 1. The microphone 4 is installed behind the front 1a, between the LCD 2 and the bottom end 1b of the body 1. Microphone and headphone slots (not shown) are also provided on the body 1 .

The first to fourth compartments 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d are accessible through respective holes in the first side 1c of the fuselage. The compartments 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d have a rectangular cross-section and are arranged side by side in a straight line. The closed end of each compartment 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d is provided with a multi-connector plug-in fitting (not shown).

The compartments 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d accommodate plug-in assemblies 6, 7, 8 interchangeably. In this example, the first component 6 comprises the mobile phone circuitry and also extends from the antenna 9 . The second component 7 comprises an ASIC for performing clock functions. The third component 8 includes a low power microprocessor and a ROM storing application programs including word processing programs, spreadsheet software and drawing programs.

Each assembly 6, 7, 8 is provided with a female plug to co-operate with a male fitting at the end of the compartments 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d.

Small protrusions 8a are also provided for the components 6, 7, 8 to facilitate their removal from the fuselage 1.

Inserting the first and second components 6, 7, the LCD 2 displays a facsimile image of the mobile phone user interface 10 and a clock face 11. The lower right corner of the LCD 2 includes an area 12 for displaying icons 13 and 14 of the components 6, 7 inserted into the body 1.

The LCD 2 is coated with a touch-sensitive layer and the stylus 15 is held in a tubular opening through the bottom end 1b of the body 1.

In fact the assemblies 6, 7, 8 are adapted to be inserted into the compartments 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d. An assembly may however comprise a plug for insertion into the compartments 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d, which plug is connected by a lead to the body containing most or all of its electronic components.

The power switch 16 is installed on the fuselage 1 .

Referring to FIG. 2, the body 1 (FIG. 1) accommodates a display drive circuit 21 and a touch position sensing circuit 22 to detect the position of a point where the stylus 15 touches the LCD 2 and output the coordinates of the point. The display driving circuit 21 and the touch position sensing circuit 22 are connected to the LCD 2 and the interface controller 23. The interface switching unit 24 is interposed between the interface controller 23 and the components 6 , 7 , and controls the routing of interface messages between the components 6 , 7 and the interface controller 23 . The interface controller 23 is also connected to an audio switching unit 25 . The audio switching unit 25 connects the microphone 4 and the loudspeaker 3 with the components 6,7.

A memory access switching unit 26 controls the access of the components 6 , 7 to a common non-volatile memory 27 .

The interface controller 23 is also connected with the backlight control circuit 28 to control the illumination of the LCD 2.

A battery 30 and a voltage regulator 31 provide electrical energy to the components and assemblies 6,7 within the fuselage. It would also be understandable to use solar cells as a power source. The components 6, 7 may also include their respective power supplies, eg for memory backup.

Generation of an image on the LCD 2 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Icon area 12 is reserved for interface controller 23 and is always displayed when the device is switched on.

The interface switching unit 24 receives display control messages from the components 6 , 7 , buffers them if necessary, and then inputs them to the interface controller 23 . These display control messages are also accompanied by ID codes for identifying the components 6,7. These ID codes can be unique for each component 6, 7, or simply identify the type of component 6, 7, in which case if two components 6, 7 with the same ID are inserted at the same time, it will An error message is displayed. The interface switching unit 24 also receives stylus position messages from the interface controller 23 and sends them to the components 6 , 7 .

When a component 6 , 7 is first inserted into the slots 5 a , 5 b , 5 c and 5 d and powered on, it sends a registration message to the interface controller 23 through the interface switching unit 24 . The interface switching unit 24 adds the IDs to a table used to map IDs to bay numbers. The compartment number is obtained from the input of the received message. This message is passed to the interface controller 23, substituting the bay number for the component's ID. The interface controller 23 then adds the bay number from the registration message to the list of active bays. After sending the registration message, the components 6 , 7 send a screen resource request message to the interface controller 23 . This message defines the size of the display area required by the components 6,7. As can be seen from FIG. 1 , the mobile phone assembly 6 needs a larger display size than the clock assembly 7 . This message, and all subsequent messages, shall be modified by substituting the bay number from the table for the component ID. After the screen resource request message, the components 6, 7 send the icon message. The interface controller 23 responds to the icon message by displaying the defined icon in the icon area 12 .

Afterwards, components 6, 7 issue display control messages to set their own initial display configuration. These messages include combinations of the following:

The body of a standard display unit such as a button or a square, and related parameters such as position and size;

Text with relevant font, size and position information;

Bitmap with position, shape and size parameters.

When the interface controller 23 receives these messages, it determines which area of the internal RAM storage unit they should relate to on the basis of the bay number received. The state of the RAM location is then set to generate a bitmap representation from the received message. For example, if the message represents a button, then a button drawing process is performed to generate a bitmap of the button at the appropriate location in RAM.

The interface controller 23 also refreshes the LCD 2 by reading the RAM and setting the pixels of the LCD 2 according to the sequential Z-axis position relative to the components 6,7. Z-axis order 0 is assigned to focused components 6,7.

As the components 6, 7 perform their functions, they will send display control messages to the interface controller 23 to update their displays.

When the user touches the LCD 2 with the stylus 15, the coordinates of the contact point are detected and sent to the interface controller 23. The interface controller 23 first determines whether the contact point is within the icon area 12 . Then, if the touch point corresponds to an icon, the interface controller 23 sets the Z-order of the associated component 6, 7 to 0 and also notifies the audio switching unit 25 that the component 6, 7 is now the focused component. The audio switching unit 25 then connects the microphone 4 and the loudspeaker 3 with the focused components 6,7.

The interface controller 23 also sends an out-of-focus message to the previously in-focus component 6, 7 (assuming a different component than the one identified by the touched icon). Then the out-of-focus component 6, 7 has the opportunity to set itself into idle mode or sleep state to reduce energy consumption.

If the touch point is not within the icon area 12, the interface controller 23 uses its knowledge of the component display images and their Z-axis order to determine which component's display is at the touched location. If the touched area corresponds to the exposed part of a partially hidden window, the window is moved to Z-order position 0 and the audio switching unit 25 is notified that the associated component 6, 7 is now the focused component, Also a focus out of focus message is sent to the previously focused component 6,7. In any case, the interface controller 23 converts the absolute coordinates from the touch position sensing circuit 22 into relative coordinates with respect to the touched window. These coordinates are then sent to the interface switching unit 24 together with the bay number to be dispatched to the focused module 6,7; messages from the interface switching unit and modules 6,7 do not require an ID. The current component 6, 7 will respond according to its own internal logic.

When the interface controller 23 is not currently processing display messages and generating stylus position messages, it periodically polls the components 6, 7 to determine if they are still present. If no response is received from the component 6, 7, the component will be removed from the component list and the bitmap of the component window and its icon will be erased.

The interface controller 23 controls the backlight (if used) through the backlight controller 28 so that only the window of the focused component is illuminated. The backlight consists of an array of independently operated light sources.

A memory 27 is provided so that the components 6, 7 can exchange data. The storage switching unit 26 retains a directory of files in the storage 27 .

When a component 6, 7 wants to store a file in the memory 27, it sends a message to the memory switching unit 27, the message including the name and size of the file. The memory switching unit 26 then allocates space for the file in the memory 27 and requests the component to send the file. The components 6, 7 will respond by sending the file to the memory switching unit 26 which stores the file in the memory 7 and adds it to the directory.

The components 6 , 7 obtain the file list in the storage 27 by sending a directory listing request message to the storage switching unit 26 .

When a component 6, 7 wants to read a file, it sends a read file message to the memory switching unit 26, which message includes the name of the file. If the file exists, the memory switching unit 26 reads the file from the memory 27 and sends it to the components 6, 7, otherwise an error message is returned.

Files can also be deleted at the request of components 6,7.

Communication between components 6, 7, memory and interface switching units 24, 26 can be serial, parallel or a mixture of both. The choice of serial or parallel is a compromise between speed and connection complexity.

It will be appreciated that the internal construction of the components is largely irrelevant. An important consideration is their connection to shared components of the system. In fact, the components in the above embodiments are provided with connector parts for message connection, and optional file transfer and audio input and output. The operation of the components 6, 7 must include the registration process described above and the generation of standard interface messages recognized by the interface controller 23. Optionally, the component can interact with the memory switching unit 26 according to the messages it understands, and perform power saving measures in response to the out of focus messages.

In another alternative embodiment, the icon area 12 is replaced by buttons on the fuselage 1 associated with each compartment.

3, the portable electronic device includes a body 101, which in turn includes: a front 101a, a rear (not shown), a top (not shown), a bottom 101b, a first side 101c, and a second side (not shown). A backlit LCD 102 is mounted on the front 101a. Microphone and earphone sockets 103 , 104 are located on the first side 101 c of the body 101 .

The compartment 105 is accessible through holes in the bottom end 101b of the fuselage 101 . The cross-section of the compartment 105 is rectangular. A plug-in fitting (not shown) of a multi-way connector is provided for the closed end of the compartment 105 .

Compartment 105 may interchangeably accommodate plug-in components 106 . In this example, component 6 includes an ASIC for implementing the diary function. The ASIC for realizing the clock function is located in the fuselage 101 .

Assembly 106 is provided with a female plug member to mate with a male fitting at the end of compartment 105 .

A small protrusion 106a is also provided for the assembly 106 to facilitate its removal from the fuselage 101 .

LCD 2 displays facsimile images of diary pages 110 and a clock face 111.

The LCD 2 is coated with a touch-sensitive layer, and the stylus 115 is held in a tubular opening through the bottom end 101b of the body 101.

In practice assembly 106 is adapted to be inserted into compartment 105 . But an assembly may include a plug for insertion into compartment 105, which plug is connected by a lead to the body containing most or all of its electronic components.

The power switch 116 is installed on the body 1 .

Referring to FIG. 4, the body 101 (FIG. 3) accommodates a display drive circuit 121 and a touch position sensing circuit 122 to detect the position of a point where the stylus 115 touches the LCD 102 and output the coordinates of the point. The display driving circuit 121 and the touch position sensing circuit 122 are connected to the LCD 102 and the interface controller 123 . The interface switching unit 124 intervenes between the interface controller 123 and the internal clock and plug-in diary components 106 , 107 and controls the routing of interface messages between the components 106 , 107 and the interface controller 123 . The interface controller 23 is also connected to an audio switching unit 125 . An audio switching unit 125 connects the microphone and speaker jacks 103,104 with the components 106,107.

A memory access switching unit 126 controls the access of the components 106 , 107 to a common non-volatile memory 127 .

The interface controller 123 is also connected with the backlight control circuit 128 to control the illumination of the LCD 102.

A battery 130 and a voltage regulator 131 provide electrical power to the components within the body 101 and to the diary assemblies 106,107. It would also be understandable to use solar cells as a power source. The diary component 106 may also include its own power supply for memory backup, for example.

Generation of an image on the LCD 2 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 .

The interface switching unit 124 receives display control messages from the components 106 , 107 , buffers them if necessary, and then inputs them to the interface controller 123 . These display control messages are also accompanied by ID codes for identifying the components 106,107. The interface switching unit 124 also receives stylus position messages from the interface controller 123 and sends them to the components 106,107.

When the plug-in component 106 is first inserted into the slot 105 and powered on, it sends a registration message to the interface controller 123 through the interface switching unit 124 . Internal component 107 sends a registration message every time the device is powered on. The interface switching unit 124 adds the IDs to a table used to map IDs to bays 105 or internal components 107 . The fact that the ID is from bay 105 is from the input that received the message. This message is passed to the interface controller 123 and the bay number is substituted for the component ID (internal component 107 may be considered bay "0" and bay 105 may be considered bay "1"). The interface controller 123 then adds the bay number from the registration message to the list of active bays. After sending the registration message, the components 106 , 107 send a screen resource request message to the interface controller 123 . This message defines the size of the display area required by the component 106,107. It can be seen from FIG. 3 that the diary component 106 requires a larger display area than the clock component 107 . This message and all subsequent messages are to be modified by replacing the component ID with the bay number from this table.

Afterwards, the components 106, 107 send display control messages to set their own initial display configurations. These messages include combinations of the following:

properties of standard display elements such as buttons or squares, and related parameters such as position and size;

Text with relevant font, size and position information;

Bitmap with position, shape and size parameters.

When the interface controller 123 receives these messages, it determines which area of the internal RAM they relate to on the basis of the bay number received. The state of the RAM location is then set to generate a bitmap representation from the received message. For example, if the message represents a button, then a button drawing process is performed to generate a bitmap of the button at the appropriate location in RAM.

The interface controller 123 also refreshes the LCD 102 by reading the RAM and setting the pixels of the LCD 102.

As the components 106, 107 perform their functions, they will send display control messages to the interface controller 123 to update their display screens 110, 111.

When the user touches the LCD 102 with the stylus 115, the coordinates of the touch point are detected and sent to the interface controller 123. The interface controller 123 uses its knowledge of the component's display image to determine which component's display is at the touched location. The component 106, 107 corresponding to the contacted window is the focused component and also notifies the audio switching unit 125 that the relevant component 106, 107 is now the focused component, and also sends a focus to the previously focused component 106, 107. Lost news. The audio switching unit 125 responds by connecting the microphone and speaker sockets 103,104 to the focused components 106,107.

The interface controller 123 converts the absolute coordinates from the touch position sensing circuit 122 into relative coordinates with respect to the touched window. These coordinates are then sent to the interface switching unit 124 along with the bay number to be dispatched to the focused module 106, 107; messages from the interface switching unit 124 and modules 106, 107 do not require an ID. The focused component 106, 107 will respond according to its own internal logic.

When interface controller 123 is not currently processing display messages and generating stylus position messages, it periodically polls plug-in assembly 106 to determine if it is still present. If no response is received from the plug-in component 106, the component is removed from the component list and its window bitmap is erased.

The interface controller 123 controls the backlight (if used) through the backlight controller 128 so that only the window of the focused component is illuminated. The backlight consists of an array of independently operated light sources.

A memory 127 is provided so that the components 106, 107 can exchange data. The storage switching unit 126 maintains a directory of files in the storage 127 .

When a component 106, 107 wants to store a file in the memory 127, it sends a message to the memory switching unit 27, the message including the name and size of the file. The memory switching unit 126 then allocates space for the file in the memory 127 and requests the components 106, 107 to send the file. The components 106, 107 will respond by sending the file to the memory switching unit 126 which stores the file in the memory 107 and adds it to the directory.

The components 106 , 107 can obtain the file list in the storage 127 by sending a directory listing request message to the storage switching unit 126 .

When a component 106, 107 wants to read a file, it sends a read file message to the memory switching unit 126, and the message includes the name of the file. If the file exists, the memory switching unit 126 reads the file from the memory 127 and sends it to the components 106, 107, otherwise an error message is returned.

Files can also be deleted at the request of the components 106,107.

Communication between components 106, 107, memory and interface switching units 124, 126 may be serial, parallel or a hybrid of the two. The choice of serial or parallel is a compromise between speed and connection complexity.

It can be understood that the internal construction of components is basically irrelevant. An important consideration is their connection to shared components of the system. In fact, the plug-in components in the above embodiments are provided with connector parts for message connection, and optional file transfer and audio input and output. Operation of the components 106, 107 must include the registration process described above and the generation of standard interface messages recognized by the interface controller 123. Optionally, the component may interact with the memory switch unit 126 using messages it understands, and perform power saving measures in response to out of focus messages.

It is apparent from the foregoing that the present invention provides an electronic device in which a display device can independently interact with a plurality of display control signal sources.

Claims (16)

1. An electronic device comprising: a display device (23, 24; 123, 124) and a screen (2; 102) controlled by the display device, characterized in that: the display device is configured to respond simultaneously to Display control signals for a plurality of electronic components (6, 7, 8; 106, 107) so that the screen can be shared by said components. 2. Electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the assembly (6; 7; 8) can be easily disconnected from the display means (23, 24). 3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein one component (107) is integrally packaged together with the display device (123, 124), and the other component (106) can be easily disconnected from the display device (123, 124) . 4. Electronic device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the display means (23, 24; 123, 124) generate a window for each component (6, 7, 8; 106, 107) respectively. 5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein a window of one component can completely hide a window of another component. 6. Electronic equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising: storage means consisting of a memory (27, 127); for selectively transferring files from the components (6, 7, 8; 106, 107) to the memory to Means (26, 126) for storing and selectively transferring files from storage means to components (6, 7, 8; 106, 107). 7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the memory (127) is a non-volatile solid-state memory. 8. The electronic device according to claim 4 or 5, comprising: an audio converter (3, 4) and a switching device (25; 125), the switching device being used to selectively connect the audio converter (3, 4) with the component (6, 7, 8; 106, 107) are connected together, wherein the switching device (25) responds to the display device (23, 24; 123, 124) to connect the audio converter (3, 4) with the component having the focus window ( 6, 7, 8; 106, 107) are linked together. 9. Electronic equipment according to claim 8, comprising: a microphone (4) and a loudspeaker (5), wherein the switching means (25) is operatively responsive to the display means (23, 24) to switch the microphone (4) and the loudspeaker (5) Linked together with the component (6, 7, 8) that has the focused window. 10. Electronic equipment according to claim 4, comprising pointing means (15, 22; 115, 122) for selecting points on the screen (2; 102) and outputting to display means (23, 24; 123, 124) an indication of the location of the selected point, wherein the display means (23, 24; 123, 124) is operable to include to its window a component (6, 7, 8; 106, 107) Send a message. 11. Electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the pointing means (15, 22; 115, 122) comprise a touch-sensitive element coextensive with the screen (2, 102). 12. Electronic equipment according to claim 2 or 3, comprising a body (1; 101), which includes display means (23, 24; 123, 124) and also has an easily disconnectable assembly for receiving each Compartments (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d; 105) of (6, 7, 8; 106). 13. Electronic equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the display means (23, 24; 123, 124) comprises: memory for storing bitmap images; for slave components (6, 7, 8; 106, 107) means (24, 124) for receiving a display control signal and setting a bit in a memory based on the signal; means for driving the screen based on the contents of the memory. 14. Electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the means (24; 124) for receiving display control signals has one input for each component respectively. 15. The electronic device according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the display means (23, 24; 123, 124) comprises: pointing means (15, 22; 115, 122) for generating Screen position data; used to determine which component (6, 7, 8; 106, 107) the screen position data is associated with with reference to the contents of the memory, and to assign the screen position to that component (6, 7, 107) 8; 106, 107) sending means (23, 123). 16. A portable electronic device according to any preceding claim.

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