TWM446934U - Processing module for controlling computer operation - Google Patents

Description

Processing module for controlling computer operation

An electronic device is particularly related to a processing module for controlling computer operations.

With the popularity of computers, many users will do all sorts of complicated tasks with computers. In order to reduce the power consumption of the computer when not in use, some manufacturers have developed a high-level configuration and power interface (ACPI) standard, which mainly integrates the power management functions into the operating system, by unifying Interface to control the power operation of all hardware to improve power management efficiency and speed up the processing of computer systems.

The power management of the computer system can be divided into six modes (S0~S5): S0 is the normal mode; S1~S4 are the power saving modes; S5 is the power off mode. Among them, the S1~S4 mode has slightly different power saving degrees.

The S1 mode means that the operation of the computer system can be quickly restored in this state, and the contents of the computer system are not lost. The S2 mode is similar to the S1 mode, but the contents of the central processing unit (CPU) and the cache memory of the computer system have been lost, and the operating system needs to maintain the contents of the central processing unit and the cache memory after the computer system returns. The S3 mode is the memory sleep function (suspend to RAM). When the computer system enters the S3 mode, it only supplies power to the memory (RAM) and the power management controller. As for other hardware, it is turned off. . Of course, after entering the S3 mode, the operating data of the computer system will be Stored in the system memory, the computer system will quickly remove the data from the system memory when it is returned to normal operation.

The S4 mode is the suspend to disk function. When the computer system enters the S4 mode, the basic input/output system (BIOS) selects the disk corresponding to the system magnetic area to store the data of the subsequent computer system operation, and waits for the reply. The computer system will take the data out of the disk when it is in normal operation.

Although the conventional technology can use the keyboard of the universal serial bus in S0~S3 to process the wake-up system of the computer. The user simply triggers and wakes up by pressing any of the keys on the keyboard. In this way, the user will be awakened by mistake.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a processing module for controlling computer operation, which is a process of turning on or off a computer by a universal serial busbar device.

The processing module for controlling computer operation disclosed in the present invention comprises an input interface, a first interface, a second interface, a switching unit and a processing unit. The input interface is connected to the universal serial bus device, and the input interface receives the input signal of the universal serial bus device. The first interface transmits the first signal to the first control unit of the computer. The second interface transmits the trigger signal to the second control unit of the computer. The switching unit is connected to the input interface, the processing unit, the first interface and the second interface, and the switching unit is selectively connected to the first interface or the second interface. The processing unit detects that the type of the universal serial bus device is an input device or a non-input device.

If it is a non-input device, the processing unit drives the switching unit to connect the first interface The first control unit transmits the first signal to the first control unit. If the input device is a trigger signal, the processing unit drives the switching unit to connect the second interface to the second control unit, and transmits the trigger signal to the second control unit, so that the second control unit performs a hardware function.

The processing module for controlling the computer operation of the present invention can perform processing such as starting up the computer, overclocking, returning to the original factory setting or shutting down the computer by the universal serial bus arrangement device. The user does not need to press the power switch on the computer, open the computer case or remove the components on the computer's motherboard. The user can complete the above operation only through the input device of the universal serial bus.

The features and implementations of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the new architecture. The processing module 300 of the switchgear of the present invention can be disposed in the computer 100 (for example, disposed in the motherboard), or can be independently disposed between the computer 100 and the Universal Serial Bus (USB) device. . The processing module 300 includes an input interface 310, a first interface 320, a second interface 330, a switching unit 340, a storage unit 360, and a processing unit 350. The processing unit 350 is connected between the input interface 310, the first interface 320, the second interface 330, the switching unit 340, and the storage unit 360.

The input interface 310 is configured to connect to the universal serial bus device 210 and to receive an input signal from the USB device 210. The USB type of the input interface 310 is version 1.1 or version 2.0. In the present invention, the USB device 210 is divided into input devices and non- Input device. The type of input device is a keyboard, a mouse or a pointing device. The type of non-input device may be a peripheral device that stores devices or other functions. In the present invention, an input signal sent to a non-input device is defined as a first signal. The input signal of a specific hot key issued by the input device is defined as a trigger signal, and the signal other than the hot key is defined as a second signal.

The first interface 320 is connected to the switching unit 340 and the first control unit 110. The first control unit 110 is a USB Host of a South Bridge Chipset. The second interface 330 is connected between the processing unit 350 and the second control unit 120. The type of the second control unit 120 may be, but not limited to, an Embedded Controller (EC), a Network Interface Controller, an Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA), and a Super Access Interface. (Super I/O), Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, Serial ATA for short), Personal Computer Interface (PCI) or Audio Controller. The type of the second interface 330 is a general-purpose input/output pin (General Purpose I/O, GPIO).

The processing unit 350 determines whether the USB device 210 is connected to the input device or the non-input device according to the mode configuration in the USB protocol. After the processing unit 350 determines that the USB device 210 is an input device, the processing unit 350 intercepts and analyzes the signal sent by the USB device 210 (the detailed operation mode will be described later).

The processing unit 350 is electrically connected to the storage unit 360. Storage unit 360 stores things The correspondence table 361 and the event correspondence program 362. The event correspondence table 351 is used to record the hardware functions corresponding to the different first signals. The event correspondence program 352 provides a setting interface for the user to establish a correspondence between the trigger signal and the hardware function.

The following is a clear description of the operation process of the present invention, and the flow chart of the present invention is described in FIG.

Step S201: connecting the USB device to the processing module; Step S202: The processing module determines whether the USB device is an input device; Step S203: If the USB device is a non-input device, the processing unit drives the switching unit to be connected to the first interface, and Switching the switching unit to the bypass mode to transmit the first signal of the USB device to the first control unit; Step S204: If the USB device is the input device, the processing unit recognizes that the signal sent by the USB device is a trigger signal or a second signal; S205: if the signal is the second signal, the processing unit transmits the second signal to the first control unit through the first interface; and step S206: if the signal is a trigger signal, the processing unit forwards the trigger signal to the second control The unit, and the corresponding hardware function is performed by the second control unit.

First, the USB device 210 is connected to the processing module 300 and the computer 100. Processing unit 350 determines that the device is an input device or a non-input device. If the USB device 210 is an input device, the switching unit 340 transmits the input signal sent by the USB device 210 to the processing unit 350. The processing unit 350 determines whether the signal is a trigger signal or a second signal. When the user presses a specific hot key of the USB device 210, The input signal sent by the USB device 210 is recognized by the processing unit 350 as a trigger signal.

The processing unit 350 searches the storage unit 360 for the hardware function corresponding to the trigger signal. When the processing unit 350 finds an event corresponding to the trigger signal, the processing unit 350 sends a trigger signal of the event to the second control unit 120. The second control unit 120 performs a corresponding hardware function according to the trigger signal.

The hardware functions described in the present invention include power on, power off, over clocking, adjusting the operating voltage of the central processing unit, adjusting the working voltage of the memory, resetting, Clear the battery or reply to the motherboard's original settings (Clear CMOS).

If the user presses another button of the USB device 210 (ie, a button that is not a hot button), the processing unit 350 can know that the group of input signals belongs to the second signal after comparing the event correspondence table 361. The processing unit 350 drives the switching unit 340 to be connected to the first interface 320 and transmits the second signal to the first control unit 110.

In addition to the above, the USB device 210 may be a non-input device such as a flash drive, a printer, or a scanner. When the processing unit 350 detects that the USB device is a non-input device, the processing unit 210 switches the switching unit 340 to the bypass mode. When the switching unit 340 is in the bypass mode, all the first signals will not pass through the processing unit 350, but will be directly sent by the switching unit 340 to the first control unit 110.

Please refer to FIG. 3A, which is a schematic diagram of the transmission path of the novel trigger signal. In Figure 3A, a thick black line is used as the transmission path for the trigger signal. For example, when the computer 100 is turned on through a USB keyboard, the user connects the USB keyboard to the input interface 310 of the processing module 300. The user is pressing the USB keyboard After the button is pressed (the manner in which the buttons are set later), the USB keyboard sends an input signal to the processing module 300. Since the USB keyboard is one of the input devices, the switching unit 340 transmits the input signal of the USB keyboard to the processing unit 350.

After receiving the input signal, the processing unit 350 will search for the corresponding event corresponding to the input signal according to the event correspondence table 361. When the processing unit 350 finds that the input signal is corresponding to the power-on event, the processing unit 350 will issue a power-on trigger signal to the second control unit 120 that controls the power-on according to the event. The second control unit 120 that controls the power on can be a Super Input/Input Interface (Super I/O), an Embedded Controller (EC), or a South Bridge chipset. After receiving the trigger signal for starting the power, the second control unit 120 drives the computer 100 to perform the booting process.

If the user presses the general button (non-hot key) of the USB keyboard, the processing unit 350 will not find the corresponding hardware function. Therefore, the processing unit 350 identifies the input signal as the second signal. The processing unit 350 forwards the second signal to the switching unit, and sends the second signal to the first control unit 110 by the switching unit 340. In Fig. 3B, the black thick line is used as the transmission path of the second signal.

If the input interface 310 is connected to a non-input device, the processing unit 350 switches the switching unit 340 to the bypass mode and transmits all the first signals directly to the first control unit 110, as shown in FIG. 3C.

In addition to being implemented by a preset button, the present invention allows the user to define different keys to correspond to their respective hardware functions. The second of the events described in the present novel The signal can be set by means of the event corresponding program 352 (please refer to FIG. 4): step S410: executing an event corresponding program; step S420: selecting a hardware function; step S430: selecting at least one button from the USB device, and pressing And selecting the buttons; and step S440: recording the mapping relationship between the pressed button set and the corresponding hardware function to the storage unit.

First, the computer 100 executes the event corresponding program 362, and the environment in which the event corresponding program 362 is executed can be executed under the operating system (OS) or in the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). Next, the user selects the hardware function to be recorded. After selecting the hardware function, the user selects at least one or more of the keys from the USB device 210. After the user completes the foregoing selection item, the event corresponding program 362 establishes a new mapping relationship with the hardware function according to the keys, and records the newly established mapping relationship in the storage unit 360.

Take the corresponding setting of booting with a USB keyboard as described above as an example. When the event corresponding program 352 is run, the user can select this event of "power on" from the hardware functions. Next, the user selects at least one button from the USB keyboard. Here, the combination of the three key combinations "Ctrl", "Shift" and "R" is used as an example. The event correspondence program 352 establishes a mapping relationship corresponding to "power on" based on "Ctrl", "Shift", and "R", and records the mapping relationship in the storage unit 360.

When the computer 100 is turned off or in a sleep state, the user can press the "Ctrl", "Shift" and "R" buttons to issue a trigger signal corresponding to the boot event. The processing unit 350 searches the event correspondence table 351 according to the trigger signal. After the processing unit 350 finds a power-on event corresponding to the trigger signal, the processing unit 350 sends the power-on trigger signal to the second control unit 120. After receiving the trigger signal, the second control unit 120 starts the processing procedure for starting the power. Similarly, for other different events, the user can also assign corresponding buttons (or button combinations).

The processing module 300 of the computer 100 switch machine of the present invention can perform the process of starting, overclocking, returning to the original setting of the motherboard or shutting down the computer 100 by the USB device 210. The user does not need to press the power switch on the computer 100, turn on the casing of the computer 100, or disassemble the components on the motherboard of the computer 100. The user can complete the above operation only through the USB input device.

Although the present invention has been described above in terms of the preferred embodiments thereof, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and it is intended that those skilled in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the new patent protection shall be subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached to this specification.

100‧‧‧ computer

110‧‧‧First Control Unit

120‧‧‧Second Control Unit

210‧‧‧USB device

300‧‧‧Processing module

310‧‧‧Input interface

320‧‧‧ first interface

330‧‧‧Second interface

340‧‧‧Switch unit

350‧‧‧Processing unit

360‧‧‧ storage unit

361‧‧‧ event correspondence table

362‧‧‧ incident response procedure

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the new architecture.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the transmission path of the novel trigger signal.

Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of the transmission path of the novel trigger signal.

Figure 3B is a schematic diagram of the transmission path of the second signal of the present invention.

The 3C figure is a schematic diagram of the transmission path of the first signal of the new type.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the new event corresponding program.

100‧‧‧ computer

110‧‧‧First Control Unit

120‧‧‧Second Control Unit

210‧‧‧USB device

300‧‧‧Processing module

310‧‧‧Input interface

320‧‧‧ first interface

330‧‧‧Second interface

340‧‧‧Switch unit

350‧‧‧Processing unit

360‧‧‧ storage unit

361‧‧‧ event correspondence table

362‧‧‧ incident response procedure

Claims (8)

A processing module for controlling a computer operation for identifying a type of a universal serial bus device connected to a computer, and performing a corresponding hardware function according to an input signal sent, the processing module comprising: an input interface Connected to the universal serial bus device, the input interface receives the input signal of the universal serial bus device; a first interface transmits a first signal or a second signal to a first control unit of the computer a second interface, a trigger signal is transmitted to a second control unit of the computer; a switching unit is connected to the input interface and the first interface, and the switching unit is selectively connected to the first interface or the second And a processing unit that is connected to the switching unit and the second interface, the processing unit detects that the type of the universal serial bus device is an input device or a non-input device; wherein, if the input is non-input And the processing unit drives the switching unit to connect the first interface to the first control unit, and transmits the first signal to the first control If the input device is the trigger signal, the processing unit drives the switching unit to connect the second interface to the second control unit, and transmits the trigger signal to the second control unit to enable the The second control unit performs the hardware function. The processing module for controlling computer operation as described in claim 1, wherein the type of the input device is a keyboard or a mouse. The processing module for controlling computer operation as described in claim 1, wherein the type of the input interface is the 1.1th version or the 2.0th version of the universal serial bus. The processing module for controlling the operation of the computer according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit detects that the input signal is the trigger signal or the second signal when the universal serial bus device is the input device. The processing module for controlling the operation of the computer according to claim 4, wherein the processing unit detects that the input signal is the second signal, the processing unit drives the switching unit to connect the first interface to the first control unit And transmitting the second signal to the first control unit. The processing module for controlling computer operation according to claim 1, wherein the type of the second interface is a general-purpose input/output pin. The processing module for controlling computer operation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hardware function comprises: powering on, powering off, overclocking, adjusting a working voltage of the central processing unit, adjusting a working voltage of the memory, resetting, and returning to the original factory setting value. . The processing module for controlling the operation of the computer according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit connected to the processing unit, wherein the storage unit records a correspondence relationship of the trigger signals corresponding to the hardware functions.