JPH06282374A - Extending and increasing device for mouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve and extend the operability and the usefulness by using mouses in plural places distant from a personal computer or the like to operate it. CONSTITUTION:A mouse M1 is connected to a personal computer 1 through a slave machine 81 and a master device 1. Drivers 25 and 32 are used for signal transmission between the slave machine 1 and the master device 2, and thereby, the signal transmission distance can be extended. When the mouse M1 is first moved, its use is detected by a retriggerable timer 22, and its first use is judged by a priority encoder 23, and the signal from the mouse M1 is selected by a selector 21. Plural slave machines can be connected by this select function. The display to discriminate the selected mouse M1 is shown on a display part 31 of the slave machine S1 so that an operator can recognize it.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention, when operating a personal computer or the like using a mouse, enables operation from a plurality of locations apart from the body of the personal computer or the like, and operates the personal computer or the like. sex,
The present invention relates to a mouse extension / expansion device for improving and expanding utilization.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A mouse is known as one of input devices for an information processing device such as a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as personal computer). Conventionally, the connection between a personal computer and a mouse was only one mouse per one personal computer. In addition, when operating a personal computer using this mouse, it is necessary to perform the operation at the place where the personal computer is installed, and as a product which is operated away from the main body of the personal computer, there is only a product of about 10 m at the most.

[0003]

By the way, in recent years,
Opportunities for operating with a mouse are increasing in order to improve the man-machine interface of the personal computer, and there is a demand for operating the personal computer from a plurality of places considerably distant from the main body of the personal computer, for example, several hundred meters. However, the current mouse cannot be used in such a place away from the personal computer, and since there is no device that selects input signals from multiple mice and sends it to the personal computer, one personal computer can be used. In the case of operating with multiple mice, it could not be used unless a human manually reconnects or switches with a switch having mechanical contacts.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a mouse extension / expansion device that enables a personal computer operation performed by a mouse from a plurality of remote locations. Especially.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, in a mouse extension / expansion device of the present invention, a main device connected to a mouse connection port of an information processing device, and one or more devices each connected with a mouse. The slave unit and the main unit are connected by a cable extended by performing signal transmission using a driver, and the main unit is connected to the signal when the mouse is moved. A circuit for detecting the use, a circuit for determining the earliest use when there are a plurality of the above-mentioned mice and selecting a signal from the one mouse moved first, and identifying the selected mouse A circuit for transmitting a signal for display is provided, and the slave unit is provided with a display section for receiving a signal for identifying the selected mouse and displaying the signal.

[0006]

In the mouse extension / expansion device of the present invention, the main device and the child device are interposed between the information processing device such as a personal computer and the mouse to extend the signal transmission distance from the mouse to the information processing device. Also, the main unit judges which mouse has been moved first and automatically selects only the signal from that mouse and inputs it to the information processing unit, which does not affect the configuration of the information processing unit or mouse. You can connect multiple cordless handsets without giving. A display for identifying the selected mouse is displayed on each child device so that the operator can recognize it.
By extending the signal transmission distance from the mouse and automatically switching the signal from the mouse, it is possible to improve the operability of the information processing apparatus and expand its use.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a connection state of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing its configuration,
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a more detailed circuit configuration of FIG.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a personal computer, 2 is a main unit, S1, S2, ..., S7 are slaves, and M0, M1 ,.
7 indicates a mouse. The main device 2 is connected to the personal computer 1. Each of the slaves S1 to S7 is placed at a location apart from the personal computer 1, and each is connected to the main device 2 by a cable.
The mouse M0 is placed near the personal computer 1 and is directly connected to the main device 2. The mice M1 to M0 are the slaves S
It is placed in the vicinity of 1 to S7 and is connected to each of the slaves S1 to S7 one by one. The extension / amplification device for a personal computer mouse of this embodiment is composed of these main device 2 and slaves S1 to S7.

FIG. 2 shows the configurations of the main unit 2 and the slave unit S1. The other slaves S2 to S7 have the same configuration as the slave S1. As functional blocks constituting the main unit 2, 21 is a selector (multiplexer), 22 is a retriggerable timer having a plurality of retriggerable circuits (equal to the total number of mice) B0 to B7, 23 is a priority encoder, 24 Is a display unit, and 25 is a driver. Further, 31 is a display unit, and 3 is a functional block constituting the child device S1.
2 is a driver.

The mouse M1 is connected to a driver 32, and is input from the driver 32 to a circuit B1 of the retriggerable timer 22 of the main unit 2 via a cable. The other circuit B0 of the retriggerable timer 22 has a mouse M.
0 is directly connected. This retriggerable timer 22
Has a function of detecting a pulse output when each mouse is moved and converting it into a continuous signal indicating use. Each output of the retriggerable timer 22 is input to the priority encoder 23. Priority encoder 23
Receives only the earliest output of the retriggerable timer 22, encodes it into a binary code, and outputs it to the data select input terminal of the selector 21, the display unit 24, and the driver 25. The data input to the selector 21 is performed by each slave S1,
, And the mouse signal from the mouse M0 are connected, and only the mouse signal designated by the code of the priority encoder 23 is sent to the personal computer 1. Display 24
Displays the number coded by the priority encoder 23 so that the mouse selected by the selector 21 can be recognized. This number is the code that driver 25
By transmitting the data to the display unit 31 of each child device S1, ..., It is possible to recognize whether the mouse M1, ... Connected to each child device S1 ,. The mouse M0 close to the main device 2 is directly connected to the main device 2 without passing through a slave. Of course, the function does not change even if the child device S0 is made and the mouse M0 is connected to the child device S0.
Since the distance to is short, the configuration is such that the slave unit M0 is omitted. Since the child device M0 is omitted, the display unit 24 for displaying the currently connected mouse is built in the main device 2.

FIG. 3 shows a more detailed block configuration of FIG. 2, and the portions corresponding to FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In this example, an inverter is used as the driver 32 of the slave unit S1, and the photo coupler 27 is connected to the main device 2 side.
(A1 to A7 are parts corresponding to each child device), and a cable z1-1 is connected between them to provide the signal Si of the mouse M1.
g1a is transmitted as the current loop signal Sig1.
Each output of the photocoupler 27 is branched to the above-mentioned retriggerable timer 22 (B1 to B7 are circuits corresponding to each child device) and the selector 21. Since the mouse M0 is in the vicinity of the main device 2, without passing through the photocoupler 27,
It is directly branched and input to the retriggerable timer 22 (B0 circuit) and the selector 21. The code output of the priority encoder 23 described above is held by the latch 28, and the selector 21 and the LED (light emitting diode) driver 24
a, it is branched to the Darlington driver 25. The display unit is composed of the LED driver 24a and an LED 24b for displaying a code such as a segment that is driven by the LED driver 24a. One set of outputs of the Darlington driver 25 is a cable z1-
2 is connected to the photocoupler 31a of the child device S1. The code output received by the photocoupler 31a is output (number display) to the LED 31c for code display, such as a segment, via the LED driver 31b. The number in parentheses shown on the input / output line between each block indicates the number of signals.

FIG. 4 shows the component 32 → 27 in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific circuit example (for one slave unit) of a system of → 21 → 26, that is, an input system from one mouse to a personal computer, and circuits corresponding to FIG. 3 are denoted by the same symbols. 33 is a mouse (Fig.
M1) is a connector for connection, and 28 is a mouse connector for connection to a personal computer (1 in FIG. 3). In this circuit example, an inverter IC (74AC04 or the like) used as a line driver is used as the driver 32,
The photo coupler 27 includes, for example, mouse signals XA, XB, Y
High-speed photocoupler for receiving A and YB (TLP52
2), but a low-speed photocoupler (TLP521, etc.) is used for receiving the mouse signals L and R, respectively.
The selector 21 has a multiplexer IC (74HC151) having a selector function of six N (at least more than the total number of mice) input and one output corresponding to six types of mouse signals.
Etc.) are used. Further, as the photo coupler 26, the above-mentioned photo coupler (TLP521 or the like) is used.

Next, the signal flow in the above input system will be described with reference to FIG. However, in FIG. 4, only one child device is shown. From the mouse (M1), six kinds of signals XA, XB, YA, YB, L, R as shown in FIG.
Is output. These are the mouse signals Sig shown in FIG.
It is 1a. Sig1a is inverted by the driver 32, and S
It is transmitted to the input side of the photocoupler 27 (A1) as ig1. Since the signal of Sig1 is further inverted at the output side of the photocoupler 27 (A1), the same signal as the original Sig1a is obtained and transmitted to the data input side of the selector 21. In addition,
Inputs to the selector 21 are not shown in the figure, but are D _{0 to} D _7.
There are 8 of them, and D ₀ is Sig0 from the mouse M0 of FIG.
Sig2~Si but from mice M2~M7 in D ₂ to D ₇
g7 travels along the same route as Sig1. One of the inputs from each mouse is selected by the data select inputs A, B and C, and is input from the output Y to the personal computer (1) via the photo coupler 26.

FIG. 6 shows the components 22 → 23 in FIG.
A specific circuit example of → 28 → 24a → 24b is shown. However, this example also shows one child unit. These circuit systems judge the usage status of a plurality of mice, output the data selection input of the mouse, and display the selected state. A re-triggerable one-shot multivibrator IC (for example, 74HC123) is used as the retriggerable timer 22, and the priority encoder 23 includes an encoder IC (74HC1).
48, etc. are used, and the latch IC (45
08 etc.) is used. Further, a segment LED driver IC (4511 or the like) is used for the LED driver 24a, and a one-digit segment LED is used for the LED 24b. The output of the latch 28 is sent to the slave unit S1 side via the driver 25 as shown in FIG.
A driver IC (TD62003 or the like) is used, and the above-mentioned photocoupler (TLP521 or the like) is used as the photocoupler 31a on the slave unit S1 side that receives the driver IC.
As the D driver 31b and the LED 31c, the above-described segment segment IC (4511 or the like) and the one-digit segment segment LED are used.

Next, the signal flow of the above circuit system is shown in FIG.
And it demonstrates based on FIG. The input terminal A of the retriggerable timer 22 (B1 portion) is XA which is one of the mouse signals received by the photocoupler 27 (A1) of FIG.
Is transmitted. However, the signals transmitted here may be signals (XB, YA, YB, etc.) other than XA, as will be described later. Here, the operation of the retriggerable timer 22 will be described. FIG. 7 shows the signal inputted to the input terminal A of the portion B1 corresponding to the mouse M1 and the output terminal -Q in one circuit portion thereof.
Represents the relationship of the signals output to. When a pulse is input to the input terminal A, the level of the output terminal -Q changes to "L (low)" for the Tw time, and when continuous pulses having a cycle shorter than Tw are input, the retrigger function is activated. Therefore, the state of the “L” level continues, and when the pulse is no longer input, the output level returns to “H (high)” after Tw time.
Since this output is transmitted to the IN6 input of the priority encoder 23, A ₂ ~
The output (coded output) of A ₀ is “001”. Further, the priority encoder 23 sets the output level to "L" if any one of IN0 to IN7 inputs is at "L" level.
It has an EO output that outputs "H" as opposed to a GS output that outputs.
“001” which is the output of A _{2 to} A _{0 is} C to A of the latch 28.
It is transmitted to the input, and the GS output is momentarily delayed by a simple delay circuit that combines a resistor R ₁ and a capacitor C ₁ , then
It is transmitted to the ST (strobe) input of the latch 28. Also,
The EO output is transmitted to the BI (blanking) input of the LED driver 24a. The latch 28 latches when the ST input state is “L” and when the ST input state is “H”, the D _{2 to} D ₀ inputs are directly output to the Q _{2 to} Q ₀ outputs.
As long as the -Q output of B1 continues to be "L", the GS output of the priority encoder 23 becomes "L", and the latch 2
8 continues to latch, so B of retriggerable timer 22
0, IN7 of -Q output priority encoder 23 from B2~B7, Q ₂ ~Q ₀ output of latch 28 will not change even if transmitted to IN5~IN0 input. This output is transmitted to the C to A inputs which are the data select terminals of the selector 21 of FIG. The same signal as Sig1 transmitted to the D ₁ inputs of the six selectors 21 is selected by the code “001” of the C to A inputs and becomes the Y output. The Y output is transmitted to the connection connector of the personal computer 1 via the photocoupler 26, so that this device and the personal computer 1 are electrically insulated. Further, the Q _{2 to} Q ₀ outputs of the latch 28 and the EO output of the priority encoder 23 are the LED driver 24a.
Is transmitted to the C to A inputs and the BI input. LED driver 24
When the C to A input is "001", the LED 24b lights up as "1", and no mouse is used.
That is, when the BI input is "L", no display is made. This display includes a Q ₂ to Q ₀ output of latch 28, EO output of the priority encoder 23 is a driver 25, also performed in LED31c since transmitted to the LED driver 31b via the photocoupler 31a. When the mouse M1 is no longer moved, there is no pulse signal of the A input B1 of Li triggerable timer 22, -Q output goes to "H" level, A ₂ to A ₀ output of the priority encoder 23 is "111" and , EO output goes to "L" level and G
The S output becomes "H" level, the latch of the latch 28 is released, and the display of the LED 24b and the LED 31c disappears.
As a result, all mice will be waiting for input, and if the first mouse moved in this state becomes available,
Other mice cannot be used.

The operation of the embodiment constructed as above will be described.

In the present embodiment, the slave units S ₁ , ...
It uses a current loop method that uses a driver and a photocoupler for signal transmission to the device, so it is strong against noise
The signals of the mice M1, ... Can be transmitted even from a place about m away. Therefore, the personal computer 1 can be operated from a place several hundred meters away.

Further, in the main device 2, when a plurality of mice are connected to the device, the first mouse moved can be automatically used and the input of other mice is not accepted. After that, a few seconds after the mouse is stopped, all the mice are put in the input waiting state. Such a function of exclusively selecting a signal from one or a plurality of mice is mainly performed by the retriggerable timer 22.
The use of 1, ... Is performed by detecting the pulse XA output when the mouse S1, ... Is moved, and the priority encoder 23 determines that the mouse is in use based on the detection signal, and automatically based on the determination. Mouse S1 used in
This is realized by switching the output signal of ... With the selector 21 and transmitting it to the personal computer 1. In other words, first, mouse S
The slaves that have moved pulses 1, 2, ... To generate a pulse on XA are connected to the personal computer 1, and while the slaves S1, ... Generate pulse XA, the slaves S1 ,. In the above, the priority encoder 23 is
It determines which of the inputs has the input signal and outputs the input number in binary code. At this time, it operates exclusively. That is, even if the second signal comes before the first signal stops, the second signal is ignored. The signal input to the retriggerable timer 22 is XA in the embodiment,
It may be XB, YA, YB which means the movement of the mouse. Further, L and R can be input to the retriggerable timer 22 by defining "representing the will to use" in the mouse button. Those operating with the mice M1 to M7 can recognize the usage status of the mouse by the number display or the like displayed on the display unit 31 of the slaves S1 to S7. In the case of the mouse M0, the display unit 24 of the main device 2
Can be recognized by.

As described above, in this embodiment, the mouse switching and the like are controlled only by the main unit 2 and the slave units S1 ,.
The personal computer 1 main body, software, or mouse can be used as it is.

Next, application examples of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a system showing its application example. As is apparent from the above embodiment, in the present invention, a plurality of mice can be connected to one personal computer. Also, since the interface between the mouse and the personal computer is converted, the mouse can be separated over a long distance.

As a result, a system as shown in FIG. 7 can be realized. That is, at the place 0, the main body of the personal computer 1 (including the keyboard KB), the main device 2 of the above embodiment, the display Disp0, the mouse M0, the branching device V
-Place AMP (commercially available device for branching and amplifying the output from the personal computer to the display) 4 and place it at a plurality of remote locations 1 to n.
The mice M1 to Mn are respectively installed in the. It is possible to install a plurality of mice in this way by providing the slaves S1 to Sn and connecting them to the main device 2 as described in the above embodiment. Furthermore, in this application example, each place 1
Display Disp1 with mouse M1 to Mn on n
~ Dispn are installed, the signals output from the personal computer 1 to the displays Disp0, ... are branched by using the commercially available branching device 4, and the signals are sent to the displays Disp0-Dispn installed together with the mouse M0 ,. Here, the number of displays and the number of mice installed at one point may be various, including 0, depending on the application and installation conditions. Of course, it's hard to think of a reason to place a mouse in a place where the number of displays is zero. In this system, the operation can be read at a plurality of places while the main body of the personal computer 1 remains the same. There are various services that can be provided, but
Unlike the unilateral departure / arrival information guides that are installed at various places in the airport, such as just arranging displays at various places,
As an example, a database service can be considered. For example, the information desired to be known is selected by the mouse M0 to Mn and displayed on the display Disp0 to Dispn.
Of course, it is not possible to access from multiple mice M0 to Mn, but if the frequency of use is not so high, the computer 1
It is useful because it requires only one main unit.

Although the above description has been made on the premise of a personal computer, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to other information processing apparatuses generally called variously. As described above, the present invention can be applied in various ways in accordance with the gist thereof and can take various embodiments.

[0023]

As is apparent from the above description, the mouse extension / expansion device of the present invention has the following advantages.

(1) When it is necessary to use personal computers that are rarely used from several places, it is possible to reduce the required number of personal computers and the like, which is cheaper than building a LAN or the like.

(2) It can be operated without installing it in a place unsuitable for installing a personal computer or the like (no installation space, lots of vibration, lots of dust, high temperature, high humidity, etc.).

(3) As described in claim 2, when the expanded / extended display is installed together with the child device and the mouse, remote operation of a personal computer or the like can be performed more smoothly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a connection state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a main device and a slave unit used in the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a circuit example of an input system from a mouse to a personal computer in the above embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a mouse output signal.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit of a system that outputs a data select input by determining whether the mouse is being used in the above embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a time chart of input and output of a retriggerable timer in the circuit example of the above output system.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a system showing an application example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Personal computer, 2 ... Main device, 4 ... Branch device, S1, ...,
S7, ..., Sn ... cordless handset, M0, M1, ..., M7, ..., M
n ... Mouse, 21 ... Selector, 22 ... Retriggerable timer, 23 ... Priority encoder, 24 ... Display unit, 25 ... Driver, 26, 27 ... Photocoupler, 28
... Latch, 31 ... Display, 32 ... Driver.

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] August 23, 1991

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0011

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

FIG. 3 shows a more detailed block configuration of FIG. 2, and the portions corresponding to FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In this example, an inverter is used as the driver 32 of the slave unit S1, and the photo coupler 27 is connected to the main device 2 side.
(A1 to A7 are parts corresponding to each child device), and a cable z1-1 is connected between them to provide the signal Si of the mouse M1.
gla is transmitted as the current loop signal Sig1.
Each output of the photocoupler 27 is branched to the above-mentioned retriggerable timer 22 (B1 to B7 are circuits corresponding to each child device) and the selector 21. Since the mouse M0 is in the vicinity of the main device 2, without passing through the photocoupler 27,
It is directly branched and input to the retriggerable timer 22 (B0 circuit) and the selector 21. The code output of the priority encoder 23 described above is held by the latch 28, and the selector 21 and the LED (light emitting diode) driver 24
a, it is branched to the Darlington driver 25. The display unit is composed of the LED driver 24a and the LED 24b for displaying codes such as 7 segments which are driven by the LED driver 24a. One set of outputs of the Darlington driver 25 is a cable z1-
2 is connected to the photocoupler 31a of the child device S1. The code output received by the photocoupler 31a is output (number display) to the LED 31c for code display of, for example, 7 segments via the LED driver 31b. The number in parentheses shown on the input / output line between each block indicates the number of signals.

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0014

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

FIG. 6 shows the components 22 → 23 in FIG.
A specific circuit example of → 28 → 24a → 24b is shown. However, this example also shows one child unit. These circuit systems judge the usage status of a plurality of mice, output the data selection input of the mouse, and display the selected state. A re-triggerable one-shot multivibrator IC (for example, 74HC123) is used as the retriggerable timer 22, and the priority encoder 23 includes an encoder IC (74HC1).
48, etc. are used, and the latch IC (45
08 etc.) is used. A 7- segment driver IC (4511 or the like) is used for the LED driver 24a, and a one-digit 7- segment LED is used for the LED 24b. The output of the latch 28 is sent to the slave unit S1 side via the driver 25 as shown in FIG.
A driver IC (TD62003 or the like) is used, and the above-mentioned photocoupler (TLP521 or the like) is used as the photocoupler 31a on the slave unit S1 side that receives the driver IC.
For the D driver 31b and the LED 31c, the above-described 7- segment driver IC (4511 or the like) and the one-digit 7- segment LED are used.

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0018

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

In the main unit 2, a plurality of mice are used.
Is connected to this device, the
The mouse is automatically enabled and does not accept input from other mice.
Not attached. After that, a few seconds after I stopped moving the mouse
After that, all the mice are put in the input waiting state. One like this
A machine to exclusively select signals from one or more mice
Noh mainly uses the retriggerable timer 22 as a mouse.M
Mouse to use 1, ...MOutput when 1, ... is moved
Pulse XA is detected to perform priority encoding.
D23 determines that the mouse is in use based on the detection signal
And the mouse being used automatically based on that judgmentM1,
The output signal of ... is switched by the selector 21 and transmitted to the personal computer 1.
It is achieved by reaching. That is, first, the mouseM
The slave unit that moved 1, ...
Connected to the computer 1, this slave S1, ...
While generating, the slave unit S1, ...
It In the above, the priority encoder 23 is
Determine which of the inputs has the input signal and
Output the number in binary code. At this time, operate exclusively
To do. In other words, before the first signal stops, the second signal
Even if comes, ignore the second. Also, the Retrigger Labruta
The signal input to the imager 22 is XA in the embodiment,
It may be XB, YA, or YB that indicates the movement of the mouse. Change
To the mouse button, "I want to useToiExpress your will "
Define and input L and R to the retriggerable timer 22.
You can also do it. The operation with the mouse M1-M7
Is the number table displayed on the display unit 31 of the slave units S1 to S7.
The usage status of the mouse can be recognized by
It In the case of the mouse M0, the display unit 24 of the main device 2
Can be recognized by.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0020

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Next, application examples of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a system showing the application example. As is apparent from the above embodiment, in the present invention, a plurality of mice can be connected to one personal computer. Also, since the interface between the mouse and the personal computer is converted, the mouse can be separated over a long distance.

[Procedure Amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0021

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

As a result, a system as shown in FIG. 8 can be realized. That is, at the place 0, the main body of the personal computer 1 (including the keyboard KB), the main device 2 of the above embodiment, the display Disp0, the mouse M0, the branching device V
-Place AMP (commercially available device for branching and amplifying the output from the personal computer to the display) 4 and place it at a plurality of remote locations 1 to n.
The mice M1 to Mn are respectively installed in the. It is possible to install a plurality of mice in this way by providing the slaves S1 to Sn and connecting them to the main device 2 as described in the above embodiment. Furthermore, in this application example, each place 1
Display Disp1 with mouse M1 to Mn on n
~ Dispn are installed, the signals output from the personal computer 1 to the displays Disp0, ... are branched by using the commercially available branching device 4, and the signals are sent to the displays Disp0-Dispn installed together with the mouse M0 ,. Here, the number of displays and the number of mice installed at one point may be various, including 0, depending on the application and installation conditions. Of course, it's hard to think of a reason to place a mouse in a place where the number of displays is zero. In this system, the operation can be read at a plurality of places while the main body of the personal computer 1 remains the same. There are various services that can be provided, but
Unlike the unilateral departure / arrival information guides that are installed at various places in the airport, such as just arranging displays at various places,
As an example, a database service can be considered. For example, the information desired to be known is selected by the mouse M0 to Mn and displayed on the display Disp0 to Dispn.
Of course, it is not possible to access from multiple mice M0 to Mn, but if the frequency of use is not so high, the computer 1
It is useful because it requires only one main unit.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A main device that is connected to a mouse connection port of an information processing device, and one or more slave devices that are each connected to a mouse. The slave device and the main device use a driver for signal transmission. By connecting by an extended cable by doing, the main unit, the circuit that detects its use from the signal when the mouse is moved, and if there is a plurality of the mouse, determine the earliest use It is provided with a circuit for selecting a signal from the first mouse moved first, and a circuit for transmitting a display signal for identifying the selected mouse, and the slave unit is provided with the selected mouse. An extension / expansion device for a mouse, comprising a display unit for receiving an identification signal and displaying the signal. 2. In addition to the mouse extension / expansion device according to claim 1, a display is arranged in the vicinity of each mouse, and the display output of the information processing device is distributed to the display by a branching device. Extension / expansion device.