JPH05216806A - Controller for input equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the input equipment controller which can perform optimized operation as a computer system even in a random connection state without making a user aware of what data input equipments is connected to which port, and causes none of elements used for data input equipment or ports to break down. CONSTITUTION:The interface specifications of plural kind of data input equipments 31-3n and the ports of the computer system to which those data input equipments 31-3n are connected are made physically and electrically common and also made common about communication data codes; and a decision means (CPU) 4 decides the kinds of the data input equipments 31-3n connected to said ports and a read means (CPU) 4 reads the kinds of the data input equipments 31-3n and input data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an input device control device for controlling a keyboard, a mouse and other data input devices connected to a computer system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in computer systems,
The data input device connected to each port has been determined to be one type, such as a keyboard connection port or a mouse connection port for connecting the data input device.

[0003]

Therefore, when the connector of the port for connecting a plurality of data input devices is physically shaped so that both the keyboard and the mouse can be commonly connected, the user mistakenly uses the keyboard. There is a possibility that a mouse may be connected to the connection port or a keyboard may be connected to the mouse connection port.

Due to such an erroneous connection, there is a problem that the device does not operate as a computer system and the element used for the data input device or the port is electrically destroyed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to randomly connect a plurality of ports without being aware of which data input device is connected to the user. However, it is still another object of the present invention to provide an input device control device which can be optimized and operated as a computer system and which does not destroy an element used for a data input device or a port.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an input device control apparatus of the present invention makes interface specifications of a plurality of types of data input devices common in terms of physical, electrical and communication data coding. The ports of the computer system to which these data input devices are connected are made common in terms of physical, electrical, and communication data codes, and the type of the data input device is selected by communication with the connected data input device. And a reading unit that reads the data input from the data input device together with the type of the data input device connected to each port when the computer system operates after the determination by the determination unit. It is characterized by that.

[0007]

The interface specifications of a plurality of types of data input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse are made common in terms of physical, electrical, and communication data codes, and the ports for connecting these data input devices are also physically and electrically connected. Of the input device control device, the input device control device discriminating means determines which data input device is connected to each port when the computer system is powered on or reset. Is determined by communication with the data input device connected to the port, and when the computer system operates after the determination, the operation is performed according to the type of the data input device connected to each port.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system having an input device control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a computer system, 2 is an input device control device, and the internal configuration is shown in FIG. 3 ₁ is the first data input device, 3 ₂ is the second data input device,
3n is an nth data input device, 4 is a CPU (central processing unit) for controlling the entire computer system 1, 5 is a system memory of the computer system 1, 6 is a data bus of the computer system 1, and 7 is an input device control device. A control signal output from 2 to the 1st to nth data input devices 3 _{1 to} 3n, and 8 is the 1st to nth data input devices 3 ₁ to 3
3n is a data input device ID signal and a data signal output to the input device control device 2.

The types of the _first to n-th data input devices 3 _{1 to} 3 n are different from each other. The control contents of the computer system 1 and the input device control device 2 are shown in FIGS.
It operates based on the flowchart shown in.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the input device control apparatus 2. In the figure, 6 is a data bus of the computer system 1, 9 is a bidirectional data buffer,
10 is an input buffer, 11 is an output buffer, 12 is a status register, 13 is an input / output control program code,
14 is a memory, 15 is an input port, 16 is an output port,
Reference numeral 17 is a data line, and 18, 19 and 20 are data buses connecting the respective buffers.

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of the input / output control program of the input device control device 2 when the computer system 1 is powered on or reset.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the input / output control program when waiting for the input of data from the _first to nth data input devices 3 _{1 to} 3n.

First, the control operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. At the start of the control operation, in step 1, the input device control apparatus 2 sends a request signal so as to answer what kind of data input device is connected to each input port 15 when the computer system 1 is reset or the power is turned on. put out.

Then, in the next step 2, the first to nth data input devices 3 ₁ to 3 connected to the respective ports 15 are connected.
3n is a data input device I determined according to its function.
The D signal 8 is returned to the input device control device 2. Then, in the next step 3, the memory 14 in the input device control apparatus 2 (see FIG.
(See reference), the data input device ID is stored so as to correspond to which input port 15 and which data input device is physically connected, and the control operation ends.

Next, the control operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the control operation starts, the input device control device 2 monitors whether or not data is input from each input port 15 as a normal operation in step 1. Then, in the next step 2, the input port 15
Data is written in the output buffer 11 and then the process proceeds to the next step 3 to write the ID of the data input device connected to the input port 15 having the input in the status register 12.

The data in the output buffer 11 and the ID in the status register 12 are used as a pair and read from the bidirectional data buffer 9 through the data bus 6 from the computer system 1 side.

The input device controller 2 may be composed of a one-chip microcomputer. Further, the data input device ID is not limited to indicating the function of the data input device, but may indicate the manufacturer of the data input device, and the data input device ID may be expanded. .. Further, in addition to the data input device ID shown in the status register, physical information regarding the input port 15 by the status register may be used.

[0019]

As described above, according to the input device control apparatus of the present invention, regarding which data input device is connected to which of the plurality of ports of the computer system,
The user can unconsciously connect the data input device to the port, the computer system can know what port the data input device is physically connected to, and the computer system is optimized as a computer system. The device used for data input device or port is not destroyed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a computer system having an input device control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram showing an internal configuration of the input device control apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an input / output control program of the input device control device when the computer system is powered on or reset.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an input / output control program of the input device control apparatus when waiting for the input of data from the data input device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 computer system 2 input device control device 3 ₁ first data input device 3 ₂ second data input device 3n nth data input device 6 CPU (discriminating means and reading means)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The interface specifications of a plurality of types of data input devices are made common in terms of physical, electrical, and communication data codes, and the ports of a computer system to which these data input devices are connected are physically and electrically connected. And the communication data are coded in common, and further, a discriminating means for discriminating the kind of the data input device by communication with the connected data input device, and a computer system operating after discriminating by the discriminating device, An input device control apparatus comprising: a reading unit that reads the data input from the data input device together with the type of the data input device connected to each port.