JPH03282857A - Extension control system for i/o apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To extend the I/O apparatus in which a touch panel is used for an input part by providing an extension I/O control circuit between a display device and a main controller. CONSTITUTION:When an input from a touch panel 6 is requested to a main controller 3, necessary screen information is displayed on a display panel 5 through a video signal from a display control circuit 22. When an operator indicates the position concerned on the touch panel 6 in accordance with an instruction of this display panel 5, the touch panel 6 detects its position information, and answers to a touch panel control circuit 23 of the main controller 3 through a touch panel signal 108. In such a state, a control part of an extension I/O apparatus 4 is extended to such a system. A first extension I/O controller 2 is inserted between a display device 1 and the main controller 3. In such a way, the control of the extension I/O apparatus 4 to which a real time property is requested can be executed without changing an application program.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an extended control system for I/O equipment, particularly a man-machine interface that includes a display unit such as a CRT or liquid crystal panel, and a display unit placed in front of the display unit. A personal computer or terminal control device that has a touch panel input section requires a man-machine interface for control, and the I/O device that uses a touch panel for the input section is newly expanded.
/O device extended control method.

[Conventional technology]

Touch panels provide an interface with excellent versatility, operability, and visibility because the input instruction format can be programmably set on the display unit as an input unit for a man-machine interface. When adding new I/O equipment that requires control via a man-machine interface to an existing personal computer or terminal control device that uses a touch panel, the following expansion measures have traditionally been taken: is common.

(1) Connect the expansion I/O control circuit to the system bus of the existing system.

(2) Modify the control program of the existing system and expand I/
Add O control function.

(3) When man-machine interface operation of expansion I/O equipment is required, the operation of the existing system is interrupted or terminated and control of the expansion I/O is started.

Alternatively, expansion I/O control may be made to wait until a series of operations of the existing system are completed.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, the conventional extended control method for I/O devices has the following problems.

(1) In order to start the extended I/O control program, it is necessary to change or add functionality to the operating system of the existing system.

(2) When real-time performance is required to control extended I/O, it may be difficult to handle this in conjunction with the operation of the existing system.

(3) If the power of the existing system is off, of course the expansion I/O
It becomes impossible to control O.

[Means to solve the problem]

The extended control method for I/O equipment of the present invention is applicable to a main control device such as a personal computer or a terminal control device, which has a display section such as a CRT or a liquid crystal panel, and a touch panel input section placed in front of the display section. In an expansion control method for I/O equipment for expanding the I/O equipment, a display synchronization signal is provided for selecting either a display synchronization signal output from a main controller or a display synchronization signal generated by the expansion control means itself. Switching device and video RA that stores display screen data on the display unit
M, a display refresh control circuit that controls memory access of the video RAM in synchronization with the output of the display synchronization switch, a video signal output from the main control device, and a video signal output from the video RAM. a video signal switcher that selects one of these and outputs it to the display section;
A touch panel control circuit that controls the touch panel input section, a touch panel signal connection switch that connects the connection destination of the touch panel signal to either the main control device or the touch panel control circuit, and an expansion I/O device for expanding the factory/O equipment. It is constructed by having an O control circuit and a microcomputer that program-controls the entire expansion I/O control means.

〔Example〕

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system before the expansion control block of the I/O device shown in FIG. 1 is provided.

First, proceeding with the explanation of FIG. 2, this system is composed of a display device 1 and a main control device 3. The display device 1 has a display panel 5 and a touch panel 6. When the main controller 3 is requested to input from the touch panel 6, the display control circuit 22 displays necessary screen information on the display panel 5 using the video signal /O6. This display panel 5
By pointing at a corresponding position on the touch panel 6 according to the instruction, the touch panel 6 detects the position information and responds to the touch panel control circuit 23 of the main controller 3 via the touch panel signal /O8.

Next, a description will be given of FIG. 1, which is an extension of the system shown in FIG. 2 with a control section for the extension work/O equipment 40. As shown in FIG. 1, expansion I/O control device 2 is inserted between display device 1 and main control device 3. As shown in FIG.

When the main controller 3 is powered on, the video signal /O6 and the display synchronization signal /O7 are sent to the buffers 14 and 1, respectively.
I'll take it in 5. The synchronization signal detection circuit 11 tests the presence or absence of the display synchronization signal /O7 based on the output of the buffer 15. If the display synchronization signal /O7 is input here, the synchronization signal detection signal I/O becomes active, and the display synchronization signal switch 12 outputs the display synchronization signal /O7 output from the main controller 3.
is selected, and the display synchronization signal /O2 is output to the display refresh control circuit /O and the display panel 5.

On the other hand, while there is no control request for the expansion I/O device 4,
Under the control of the CPU 18 of the expansion I/O control device 2, the display refresh control circuit /O makes the video signal switching control signal /O5 inactive. At this time, the video signal switch 8 switches the video signal output from the buffer 14 to
Select O3 and output to display panel/O.

When outputting information to the expansion I/O device 4, the operator first presses the switch 7 provided on the display device l to output information to the CPU 1.
An interrupt signal 112 is given to g.

Using this as a trigger, the CPU 18 writes display information for touch panel input into the video RAM 9, and then instructs the display refresh control circuit /O to activate the video signal switching control signal /O5 only in the necessary area.

The display refresh control circuit /O is a display synchronization signal /O2
It generates a display refresh address for reading the display data of the video RAM 9 in synchronization with the video RAM 9, detects the display screen switching area, and outputs the video signal switching control signal /O5.
Output. This operation causes the display panel 5 to
Information necessary for controlling the O device 4 is displayed as part of the screen information from the main control device 3.

Simultaneously with the above operations, the CPU 18 connects the touch panel signal /O8 output from the touch panel 6 to the touch panel signal connection switch 16 from the touch panel control circuit 23 of the main control device 3 to the touch panel control of the expansion I/O control device 2. Switch to circuit 17. Therefore, when the operator points at the display panel 5, the touch panel 6 responds with the position information, but the data is transmitted to the touch panel control circuit 17.
The data is read by the CPU 18 and analyzed by the CPU 18. If the position information is in the area displayed by the expansion I/O control device 2, the corresponding expansion I/O device 4 is controlled. Further, if it is outside the area, the same data as the received data is transmitted to the touch panel control circuit 23 of the main control device 3 via the touch panel signal connection switch 16. Further, data from the touch panel control circuit 23 of the main control device 3 is output as is to the touch panel 6 via the touch panel signal connection switch 16.

Next, when the main control device 3 is powered off, assuming that the display device 1 and expansion I/O control device 2 are powered independently from the main control device 3, the main control device 3 Since the display synchronization signal /O7 from I/O does not become active, the synchronization signal detection circuit 11 makes the synchronization signal detection signal I/O inactive and selects the output of the display synchronization signal generation circuit 13.

The subsequent operation is the same as described above, and the expansion I/O equipment 4 is controlled independently of the main controller 3.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, control of expansion I/O equipment that is used infrequently but requires real-time performance can be
This can be achieved without changing application programs running on existing personal computers or terminal control devices. In addition, by making the power supply system of the expansion I/O control means independent from the main control device, the display section and touch panel input section can be used to control the expansion I/O equipment even while the main control device is powered off. Available for

An example of an application of such a system is a system in which a telephone dialing section using a touch panel is added to a personal computer. For making and receiving calls,
This occurs asynchronously with the application operation of the personal computer, and real-time performance is required. In order to realize such a request, it is necessary to change the existing O8 to multitask or program switching in order to control everything with the conventional main controller.

However, depending on the application program, changing O8 may cause adverse effects, and it is difficult to realize such a request. According to the present invention, the above-mentioned system can be easily realized simply by inserting the extended I/O control means of the present invention into the interface between the main control device and the display section and touch panel section of the existing system.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the system before the blocks shown in the figure are provided. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Display device, 2... Expansion I/O control device, 3... Main control device, 4... Expansion I/O device, 5. ...Display panel, 6...
...Touch panel, 7...Switch, 8...
...Video signal switch, 9...Video RA
M, /O...Display refresh control circuit, 11
... Synchronization signal detection circuit, 12 ... Display synchronization signal switch, 13 ... Display synchronization signal generation circuit, 14゜15 ... Buffer, 16. ...
...Touch panel signal connection switch, 17, 23...
...Touch panel control circuit, 18...CPU
, 19...ROM, 20...RAM1
21...Expansion I/O control circuit, 22...
・Display control circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] I/O for extending I/O equipment to a main control device such as a personal computer or a terminal control device that has a display section such as a CRT or liquid crystal panel and a touch panel input section placed in front of the display section. In an equipment expansion control system, a display synchronization signal switch is provided to select either a display synchronization signal output from the main control device or a display synchronization signal generated by the expansion control means itself, and a display screen data storage device is provided in the display unit. a display refresh control circuit that controls memory access of the video RAM in synchronization with the output of the display synchronization switch; a video signal output from the main controller and a video output from the video RAM; a video signal switcher that selects one of the signals and outputs it to the display section; a touch panel control circuit that controls the touch panel input section; and a connection destination of the touch panel signal that is connected to either the main control device or the touch panel control circuit. An I/O device comprising: a touch panel signal connection switch; an expansion I/O control circuit for an expanded I/O device; and a microcomputer that program-controls the entire expansion I/O control means. extended control method.