JPH02259920A - Keyboard switching system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To arbitrarily switch a keyboard without interrupting work by resetting not the whole system but only a part related to a keyboard when the keyboard is switched, and preserving the contents of a memory to be erased at such a time to the other area of the memory beforehand. CONSTITUTION:In the state of command waiting in an operating system, a keyboard switching item is selected on a menu screen. To prepare for the resetting of system information in the memory, information related to the keyboard is stored into the idle area of the memory. The switch of the keyboard is changed over, a CPU 21 initializes the keyboard information in a RAM area 22-1, and resets the keyboard. When a reset code returned from the keyboard is not confirmed, the CPU judges that the keyboard has not been switched, and restores the stored information related to the keyboard to an original position. Thus the keyboard can be switched even during the system operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method of switching and using a plurality of keyboards under control of hardware or software.

[Conventional technology]

Normally, devices such as converters have a display section and a keyboard connected to the main body, but in devices that are miniaturized for portable use, the display section and keyboard are integrated with the main body. In that case, the keyboard integrated with the main body (internal keyboard) may be made smaller by giving one key multiple functions to reduce the number of keys, or changing the key arrangement accordingly. Sometimes, the size of the keypad is often reduced, which may make it more difficult to use than the standard keyboard (external keyboard). Therefore, even if it is a portable device, when using it on a tabletop, a method was devised in which an external keyboard is connected and a selection switch is used to switch to the external keyboard.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, with the conventional method, when operating a switch to change the keyboard, the entire system is reset, all memory contents are initialized, and then restarted, so the currently running operating system and application programs are All information will be lost. Therefore, if a user wants to switch keyboards in the middle of a certain task, they must first save the memory contents to a floppy disk, etc., then switch the keyboard, restart the system, and then read the data back into the system from the floppy disk, etc. It was difficult and time-consuming.

The object of the invention is to
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method by which keyboards can be switched arbitrarily.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention does not reset the entire system when switching keyboards, but only the keyboard-related parts, and saves the contents of the memory that will be erased at that time in a separate area of the memory in advance. I'll keep it.

[Effect]

Since keyboard-related information is stored in memory, it is possible to switch keyboards while the system is running.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be explained below based on the drawings.

Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of the main parts of a laptop computer using the present invention, including a CPU (central processing unit) 21, a RAM (
It consists of a read/write memory) 22, an internal keyboard 26 integrated with the main body, a keyboard changeover switch 24, a display section 25, a disk device 26, and the like. In addition, ROM (
(read-only memory) and peripheral IO devices, but these are omitted here. If an external keyboard can be used depending on the work environment, the external keyboard 27 is connected and used by switching with the switch 24. Although the state of the switch 24 is checked using software, the switch function may be entirely based on software. keyboard 23
and 24 are equipped with a keyboard controller (IC for keyboard control). The RAM 22 has an area 22-1 used by the operating system and a work area 22-2, and the system area 22-1 has various system information written during operation.

Keyboard-related functions that memorize key numbers and character codes, Caps, Numeric, 5croll, L
A storage area for keyboard information such as ock is also provided here.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a keyboard switching procedure according to the present invention. Step 1 is a state of waiting for a command from the operating system. In step 2, select the keyboard switching item on the menu screen. Item selection may be made interactively rather than in a menu format. In step J[5, keyboard-related information is saved in the free memory area in preparation for resetting the system information in memory. This corresponds to evacuating the keyboard information that was in the memory area 22-1 in FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrow 22a. At head 4, the keyboard switch is changed. This switch is designated 24 in FIG.

In step 5, the CPU 21 of the main body initializes the keyboard information in the RAM area 22-1 and sends a reset signal to the keyboard controller to reset the keyboard. Since the CPU confirms the completion of the reset based on the reset code returned from the keyboard, if this code is not confirmed, it is determined that the keyboard has not been switched. In step 6, the keyboard-related/D information saved in step 6 is restored to its original location. This is the action of arrow 22b in FIG.

In this state, key control has already been transferred to the new keyboard. In Hiragashira 7, confirm that the keyboard switching has been completed on the menu display, and exit the menu.

After the above, in step 8, the process returns to the state of waiting for an operating system command. This is the same state as the first step 1.

Although the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above configuration. For example, the process in step 2 may be performed by manual input without relying on the menu screen, or the order of steps 2 and 6 or the order of steps 6 and 7 may be reversed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the keyboard switching method according to the present invention, since the contents of the memory are saved, switching can be performed even while the system is operating, reducing the time required for switching and facilitating operation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a configuration diagram of the main parts of the embodiment. 1...CPU. 2...RAM 3...Internal keyboard, 4...Switch, 5...Display section, 7...External keyboard. 1st @

Claims (1)

[Claims] A keyboard in a device having a central processing unit, characterized by having procedures for storing keyboard-related information, switching the keyboard using a software switch or a hardware switch, resetting the keyboard, and restoring the keyboard-related information. Switching method.