JP2852664B2 - Peripheral device automatic recognition method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to various peripheral devices which are important as a man-machine interface in an information processing apparatus, for example, a keyboard for inputting characters, and 16 to 32 characters. A function keyboard composed of buttons, a joystick for inputting numerical data in three-axis directions, a mouse for inputting the amount of movement in the three-axis direction, a dial device for inputting eight to nine numerical data, The present invention relates to automatic device recognition when a tablet device or the like for inputting two-dimensional coordinate values is connected to an information processing device.

[Summary of the Invention]

According to the present invention, when connecting some peripheral devices having different characteristics used in the information processing device, the information processing device side automatically connects a connection between the connected channel and the peripheral device through a preset protocol. Is to be recognized.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when connecting various peripheral devices in an information processing apparatus, the following two methods have been mainly employed.

(1) The relationship between a channel to be connected and a peripheral device is fixed so that a different peripheral device cannot be connected to a specific channel. This can avoid human troubles such as connection mistakes, but requires an individualized channel that can handle all connectable peripheral devices.

Therefore, it leads to an increase in cost. Also, peripheral devices that existed at the time of system design can be connected, but new peripheral devices that will be supported in the future cannot be connected.

(2) The relationship between the channel to be connected and the peripheral device is not fixed, but the operator artificially sets the connection relationship.
The cost of this method is lower than that of the method (1) in that the maximum number of general-purpose channels to be connected by the average user may be prepared. However, mistakes were sometimes made due to human work.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

As shown in the two conventional methods, a dedicated channel must be provided for all connectable peripheral devices, and the connection to peripheral devices that would be supported conventionally is possible. There are three deficiencies, namely, the difficulty in setting the relevance of the peripheral device to the generalized channel.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate these defects, automatically recognize various peripheral devices connected to a general-purpose channel under the condition of an asynchronous communication system and various transfer speeds, and protect from human trouble, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a method that leaves room for connection to unknown peripheral devices that will be developed in the future.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to solve these problems, the present invention provides the following two protocols between an information processing device and various peripheral devices, and (1) recognizes a transfer speed of a peripheral device connected by an asynchronous communication method. (2) Protocol for recognizing the types of peripheral devices connected by the asynchronous communication method These two protocols are used for each channel for which it is not known from a program installed in the information processing device that what is connected. By issuing the command, the appropriate transfer rate of the channel is obtained, and the type of the connected peripheral device can be automatically recognized.

[Action]

The present invention is effective under the condition that the information processing device and various peripheral devices are all connected by the asynchronous communication method as shown in FIG. The above-described protocol (1) is used to obtain the transfer speed from the information processing device side to the peripheral devices connected at different transfer speeds. FIG. 1 shows a procedure for automatic transfer rate recognition. By repeatedly executing the procedure shown in FIG. 1 for all the channels of the information processing apparatus, the presence / absence of connection of each channel and the transfer speed can be determined.

The above-described protocol (2) is used to determine the type of peripheral device for the channel for which the transfer rate has been determined. FIG. 2 shows a procedure for determining the type of the peripheral device. By executing the procedure shown in FIG. 2, each channel of the information processing apparatus and various peripheral devices connected thereto can be determined.

〔Example〕

Next, examples of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 shows a graphics display device 1 having four channels, three peripheral devices, a keyboard 3, a function
It is assumed that the keyboard 4 and the dial device 5 are connected. These peripheral devices are connected to the A, B, and D channels of the graphic display device 1 at 4800, 4800, and 9600 BPS, respectively.

A program (hereinafter referred to as an A program) mounted on the graphics display device 1 first recognizes at what transfer speed each of the four channels is connected to the peripheral device. For this purpose, the flow shown in FIG. 1 is executed for four channels. A to make it easier to talk
In the program, it is assumed that 9600 BPS is set as an initial setting for all four channels. First, a step A of issuing a specific command (hereinafter referred to as a return command) to the first channel. The peripheral device connected to the channel A cannot perform communication at the initially set transfer rate of 9600 BPS, and thus cannot normally receive the return command. Then, the A program does not return the return command even after waiting for a certain period of time,
Switching to 4800 BPS (step B to step D), a return command is again issued to channel A in this state (step E). Accordingly, the peripheral device connected to the channel A can normally receive the return command (step J), and thus returns the return command (step K). Since the program A has confirmed the return of the return command, the channel A recognizes that something is connected at 4800 BPS and determines the transfer rate of the channel (step H). By the same procedure, the channel B also recognizes that something is connected at 4800 BPS. Then, a return command is issued to channel C at 9600 BPS.
After a certain period of time, there is no return command, so switch the transfer speed to 4800 BPS and try again. Since nothing is returned, change the transfer speed further. The program A repeats this process, and returns the return command even if all possible transfer speeds are tried. Therefore, the program A determines that nothing is connected to the channel C (step F). Subsequently, a similar attempt is made for channel D.
00BPS recognizes that a peripheral device is connected. As described above, the connection presence / absence and transfer rate of all four channels can be determined.

Next, the types of the peripheral devices connected to the channels A, B, and D are determined. For this purpose, the program A executes the procedure shown in FIG. In this, a specific command (hereinafter referred to as a model inquiry command) is issued from the A program to the channel (step M to step N). Each peripheral device that has received this returns a model notification command that can uniquely determine the device defined as the protocol (step S to step V). For example, when a model inquiry command is issued to channel A (step N), the connected peripheral device returns a model notification command indicating a keyboard to the A program (step V).
Similarly, when a model inquiry command is issued to channel B and channel D, a model notification command indicating a function keyboard and a dial device is returned. As a result, the types of peripheral devices connected to all channels can be determined.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically recognize various peripheral devices connected to the asynchronous communication system, eliminate operator intervention, and eliminate human error. Peripheral devices and channels are fixed, so that conventional connection mechanisms separately prepared for all types of peripheral devices can be generalized and cost can be reduced. Further, there is an advantage that it is possible to flexibly cope with various peripheral devices to be produced in the future.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 (a) is a flowchart of a transfer speed automatic recognition procedure on the information processing apparatus side, FIG. 1 (b) is a flowchart of a transfer rate automatic recognition procedure on the peripheral device side, and FIG. 2 (a) is an information processing apparatus side 2 (b) is a flowchart of a procedure for determining a peripheral device on the peripheral device side, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a connection side between the graphics display device and the peripheral device.

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Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An information processing device having a channel to which various peripheral devices can be arbitrarily connected, a return command is transmitted from the information processing device to the peripheral device through the channel, and a response from the connected peripheral device to the return command is provided. By recognizing whether or not a peripheral device is connected to the channel and a transfer rate specific to the connected peripheral device, the information processing device inquires the peripheral device about the model at the transfer speed specific to the peripheral device. A method for automatically recognizing a peripheral device in an information processing device, comprising transmitting a command, and recognizing the model of the peripheral device from a model notification command returned by the peripheral device in response to the model inquiry command. 2. An information processing apparatus having a plurality of channels to which various peripheral devices can be arbitrarily connected, wherein a return command is transmitted from the information processing apparatus to the peripheral device through each channel, and the connected peripheral device responds to the return command. , The presence or absence of the connection of the peripheral device to each of the channels, and the transfer rate specific to each connected peripheral device are recognized. A model inquiry command is transmitted at a transfer speed of, and in response to the model inquiry command, the peripheral device is recognized from the model notification command returned by the peripheral device. Method. 3. A return command is transmitted from an information processing device to a peripheral device through a channel at a certain transfer rate. If there is no response from the peripheral device to the information processing device even after waiting for a predetermined time, the transfer is performed. Transmitting the return command at a transfer rate different from the speed, transmitting the return command at a different transfer rate until there is a response from the peripheral device, and transmitting the transfer rate with the response to the peripheral device specific transfer. 3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device recognizes that no peripheral device is connected to the channel if there is no response even if the return command is transmitted at all possible transfer speeds. Automatic recognition method of the peripheral device described.