KR100560638B1 - computer system having advanced user interface and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The computer system includes a control panel on the front of the system body and a remote controller for remotely controlling the computer system. The user can run the computer system by selecting an application to be executed automatically using the control panel. When the computer system is running, the application program selected by the control panel is automatically executed. The application program selectable by the control panel can be arbitrarily changed by the user. The computer system also has a remote controller having a password and a plurality of control buttons, the remote controller generating a remote control signal comprising the password. The computer system is remotely controlled in response to only a remote control signal that includes a password that matches a password stored in the body. The user can remotely run the computer system using the remote controller and select a program to be executed automatically when remotely driven. In particular, when the computer system is powered on by the remote controller, password checking by the BIOS and logging on to the operating system are automatically processed. Such a computer system of the present invention provides an effective user interface for selecting and executing a desired application program through the operation of the control panel.

Description

Computer system having advanced user interface and controlling method

1 shows a computer system equipped with a control panel and a remote controller associated therewith in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control panel of FIG. 1; FIG.

3 shows an appearance of the remote controller of FIG. 1;

4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the remote controller of FIG.

5 is a flowchart showing operation of the microcontroller of the remote controller of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows a packet data configuration generated by the microcontroller of the remote controller of FIG. 4; FIG.

7 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the computer system of FIG.

8 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the control panel of FIG. 7 in detail;

FIG. 9 shows an internal register included in the microcontroller of the control panel of FIG. 7; FIG.

FIG. 10 shows an interface model of the control panel of FIG. 1 with a remote controller and associated programs; FIG.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing operation of a microcontroller of the control panel of FIG. 8; FIG.

12 and 13 are flowcharts showing the subroutine of FIG. 11, FIG. 12 shows a process of a button switch input of a control panel, and FIG. 13 shows a process of responding to a remote control signal from a remote controller. Flowcharts;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a password checking operation of the BIOS of FIG. 10; FIG.

15 is a flowchart showing operation of the automatic log-on program of FIG. 10;

16 is a flowchart showing operation of the shell program of FIG. 10; And

17 is a diagram illustrating a window of the shell program of FIG. 10.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

100: keyboard 110: mouse

120: display monitor 130: microphone

200: system body 210: power button switch

300: control panel 400: remote control

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a computer system, and more particularly to a computer system having a control panel and a remote controller associated therewith that can conveniently execute an application program installed in the computer system. And a control method thereof.

Computer systems are information handling systems that are used today for many individuals and offices. In general, computer systems include central processing units, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, display monitors, keyboards, and pointing input devices. ), Compact disc-read only memory drives, modems, hard disk storage devices, and printers. The main board of the computer system is used to electrically connect these configurations. This motherboard is a printed circuit board known as a motherboard.

Central processing units are often called microprocessors. With the development of semiconductor technology, the performance of microprocessors, semiconductor memory devices, and the like is rapidly improving. Along with these developments, user interfaces have been developed in various forms so that users can use computer systems more conveniently. Currently, the GUI (graphic user interface) is the main user interface for executing an application program or input any command on the computer system. For example, in the Windows® operating system developed by Microsoft®, the application selects the corresponding icon placed on the desktop or moves the file manager through a mouse or keyboard operation. This can be done by navigating to (File Manager) or Windows Explorer. Basically, an operating system employing a GUI displays icons related to all files or documents on the monitor screen. Thus, the user can execute it by selecting one desired icon and clicking the mouse button.

By the way, in such an operating system, if many program icons are located in a window desktop or a program group window, these icons cause inconvenience to the user in selecting one of the many icons. Moreover, if there is no icon on the desktop that corresponds to the desired application, finding the desired program in Windows Explorer and running it is difficult and cumbersome for beginners.

Recently, in order to easily execute frequently used applications, a control panel having a plurality of buttons called "Easy Button" or "Q Button" or the like is provided on the front bezel of the system main body. A personal computer mounted on the front bezel was provided. These buttons can also be integrated into the remote control of a computer. Each button on the control panel corresponds to a special function or general application of the computer. By pressing the button, the application can be started or terminated. In addition, the remote controller may have a function for remotely starting the computer system. As described above, computer systems have been developed to provide more convenient user interfaces as well as their performances.

However, although the above-mentioned control panel provides the user with easy and quick access of the computer, there is a unique problem in that the number of buttons is limited. If more buttons are provided on the front control panel, the user will be inconvenient, such as registering many icons on the Windows desktop. In addition, the assignment of each function button is set by the computer manufacturer, so that the computer user cannot change the button assignment at will.

Therefore, there is a need for simple and convenient access devices and methods for computer systems. Efforts have been made to develop devices and methods related to electronic and computer systems.

Recent efforts in this technology include US patent no. U.S. Patent No. 5,821,926 to METHOD OF GENERATING AN OPERATING BUTTON FOR COMPUTER PROCESSING, METHOD OF RETRIEVING DATA WITH OPERATING BUTTON AND METHOD OF DISPLAYING THE OPERATING BUTTON, Jaeger 5,786,811 OPERATOR / CIRCUIT INTERFACE WITH INTEGRATED DISPLAY SCREEN, U.S. Patent No. 5,121,477 SYSTEM FOR INTERACTIVELY CREATING ACTION BAR PULL-DOWN WINDOWS OF A USER INTERFACE FOR USE AT PROGRAM RUN TIME, U.S. Patent No. 4,112,429 MULTIFUNCTION SEQUENCE OPERATED INTEGRATED SWITCH-DISPLAY DEVICE, and US patent MANAGEMENT CONTROL TERMINAL METHOD AND APPARATUS to Van Bemmelen. However, these recent efforts, although providing many benefits, do not provide a simple and convenient access device and method for a computer system. Therefore, there is a need for a computer system having an improved computer control panel and a user interface.

On the other hand, in order for a user to run an application program mounted on a computer system, it is inconvenient to turn on the computer and wait for a predetermined time or more. Typically, when power is input to a computer system, a hardware boot process by a basic input output system (BIOS) and a software boot process by an operating system are performed. After the two booting processes are completed and the computer system is available, the user can select and run the desired application. In addition, when the password checking function is set in each booting step, the user must enter the password carefully in each password checking step. In this case, the security according to the password check can be said to be satisfied, but there is an inconvenience that the computer system can not be used quickly.

As such, the user may experience various inconveniences until the computer system is executed to execute the desired application program. Of course, the Windows (R) operating system has a function of automatically executing a program registered as a startup program after booting of the operating system is completed. According to this function, the program registered by the user is automatically executed after the booting process by the operating system is completed. However, this feature can give the user some inconvenience. For example, a user may not want to run the same application every time the computer is running. Therefore, the automatic execution function as mentioned above is difficult to satisfy the various needs of the user because the same program is automatically executed every time. In addition, when registering a plurality of programs to be automatically executed, it may be inconvenient in that all registered programs are executed.

However, if a user can arbitrarily select a program to be automatically executed before starting the computer system, the user will have a convenient computer usage environment. In addition, there is a need for a security method of a computer system that can alleviate the hassle of a user entering a password at each booting stage.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has a control panel and a remote controller capable of selectively executing a desired program among various programs mounted on a computer system. A computer system having an improved user interface that can be arbitrarily selected by a user prior to powering on the computer system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved security method of a computer system without a user inputting a password manually.

According to a feature of the invention for achieving the object of the invention as described above, the computer system comprises a remote controller, a control panel, a processing unit and a memory unit.

The remote controller wirelessly outputs a remote control signal including password data and a control code for remotely controlling the system. The control panel is connected to the system main body, includes at least one switch unit for controlling the operation of the computer system and a wireless receiving unit for receiving a remote control signal, and remote control by receiving a remote control signal from the remote controller. Input the first data corresponding to the control code included in the received remote control signal into the system when the password included in the signal is the password of the legitimate user, and the second data in response to the switching of the at least one switch unit; Enter into the system.

The processing unit receives the first data or the second data and outputs a command for executing an operation corresponding to each of the received data among a plurality of operations to be executed by the remote controller or the at least one switch unit. The memory unit stores a routine that causes the processing unit to output an instruction for executing an operation when the first data or the second data is received at the processing unit.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a remote controller includes a memory unit for storing the password data; At least one remote control switch unit for remotely controlling the system; A remote control signal connected to the memory unit, the at least one switch unit, respectively, and including password data stored in the memory and a control code corresponding to the switched switch unit in response to the switching of the at least one switch unit; A control unit for generating a; And a wireless transmission unit connected to the control unit and wirelessly outputting the generated remote control signal. The at least one remote control switch unit includes a first switch unit for switching the power on / sleep mode of the system and a second switch unit corresponding to the plurality of operations.

In an embodiment of the invention, the control panel comprises: a memory for storing a password identical to a password of the remote controller; Connected to the radio receiving unit, the at least one switch unit, and the memory unit, respectively, receiving a remote control signal through the radio receiving unit, and a password included in the remote control signal matches a password stored in the memory unit; And a control unit for generating the first data and inputting the system to the system, and generating and inputting the second data to the system in response to the switching of the at least one switch unit. The at least one switch unit comprises a first switch unit for selecting one of the plurality of operations and a second switch unit for instructing execution of the selected operation. The first switch unit comprises a rotary switch having at least two signal output terminals for outputting a plurality of direction signals corresponding to the rotation direction selected in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions. The second switch unit is composed of a push button switch coupled to the center of the rotary switch.

In an embodiment of the invention the control panel is connected to the control unit and includes a display for displaying an operation selected according to the switching of the first switch unit, wherein the control unit is responsive to the switching of the first switch unit. Control to display the operation selected by the first switch unit on the display. The control panel is mounted to the front bezel of the system body.

In an embodiment of the invention said computer system comprises a keyboard controller configured between said processing unit and said control unit, said control unit processing said first and second data via a keyboard data / clock line of said keyboard controller. Send to the unit.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of operations correspond to a plurality of application programs registered in the routine.

In an embodiment of the invention the computer system comprises a power supply for power supply of the system and power management means for controlling the power supply of the power supply device, the control unit of the control panel is the power management means The control unit of the control panel is configured to power on the system if the password included in the received remote control signal matches the password included in the memory when the remote control signal is received when the system is in the power off state. A power control signal for turning on is provided to the power management means. The control unit of the control panel provides remote start information for indicating that the system is powered on by the remote controller when the system is powered on by the remote controller. Skip password checking performed during the boot process.

According to another feature of the invention, a control method of a computer system having a remote controller and a control panel for selecting one of a plurality of operations comprises: controlling the remote controller or the control panel to select one of the plurality of operations; Determining whether there is an input from at least one switch unit provided; When a remote control signal including a password data and a remote control code is input from the remote controller, determining whether the password data included in the remote control signal matches password data included in a system; If the passwords match, generating first data corresponding to a remote control code included in the remote control signal; Generating second data corresponding to the switching signal when a switching signal of at least one switch unit of the control panel is input; And executing one of the plurality of operations corresponding to the first data or the second data.

In an embodiment of the present invention, if a remote control signal including password data corresponding to a password provided in the system is received, determining a power supply state of the computer system; Powering on the system if the system is in a power-off state, and generating first data corresponding to a control code included in the remote control signal when the system is powered on and starts normal operation.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the method includes determining whether the system is powered on by the remote controller, and when the system is powered on by the remote controller, the password checking step by the BIOS is skipped. When the system is powered on by the remote controller, the log on phase of the operating system proceeds automatically.

(Example)

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The novel computer system of the present invention is provided with a control panel, and the user can select an application to be executed automatically using the control panel to drive the computer system. When the computer system is running, the application program selected by the control panel is automatically executed. The application program selectable by the control panel can be arbitrarily changed by the user. The novel computer system of the present invention also includes a remote controller having a password and a plurality of control buttons, the remote controller generating a remote control signal comprising the password. The computer system is remotely controlled in response to only a remote control signal that includes a password that matches a password stored in the body. The user can remotely run the computer system using the remote controller and select a program to be executed automatically when remotely driven. When the computer system is powered on by the remote controller, password checking by the BIOS and logging on to the operating system are automatically handled.

1 shows a computer system equipped with a control panel and a remote controller associated therewith in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the computer system of the present invention includes a system main body 200 equipped with a power button switch 210 and a control panel 300 at a front bezel, and a typical input / output connected thereto. The device includes a keyboard 100, a mouse 110 and a display monitor 120. The microphone 130 for voice input is connected to the system main body 200. In this embodiment, the system main body 200 is equipped with Microsoft (R) Windows 98 (R) as an operating system, and system power management related to power supply is Microsoft (R), Intel (R), and Toshiba. It supports the "Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI) Specification Version 1.0" proposed by (R). Programs associated with the control panel 300 and the remote controller 400 are stored in the system main body 200.

The control panel 300 of the present invention is provided with a plurality of push button switches, rotary switches, a plurality of light emitting diodes, and a wireless receiver for receiving radio signals from a remote controller. The remote controller 400 of the present invention has at least one or more button switches for remote control and is wirelessly connected to the control panel 300 of the system main body 200. The power button switch 210 is a so-called "soft switch" for the power on / off and sleep / wake up functions. In general, when the power button switch 210 is pressed for 4 seconds or more, the computer system is powered on / off, and when the power button is pressed within 4 seconds, the computer system operates in a sleep mode (specifically, S3 of ACPI). In the sleep mode, when the power button switch 210 is input, the system wakes up and returns to the normal mode (specifically, S0 of ACPI).

The user registers application programs to be executed by the control panel 300 and the remote controller 400 in a specific program (a shell program described later). The user may execute one of the programs registered in the shell program using the control panel 300 or the remote controller 400. In particular, it is possible to power on a computer system and automatically run one of the programs selected from the shell programs. In addition, when the computer system is powered on using the remote controller 400, the password checking process by the BIOS is skipped, and the log on to the operating system is automatically performed. When the system is in operation, the user can use the remote controller 400 to switch the operating mode of the computer system to the sleep mode. In addition, the control panel 300 is provided with a button switch for activating / deactivating the voice recognition function, the user can easily enable / disable the voice recognition function using this button switch. As such, the control panel 300 and remote controller 400 and associated programs are provided with a particular user interface used to drive a computer system and execute one of a number of application programs.

Subsequently, the detailed configuration and operation of each component of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration of the control panel of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the control panel 300 includes a plurality of light emitting diodes LED301, LED302, LED303, LED304, LED305, LED306, and LED307, a rotary switch R_SW, a plurality of push button switches SW301, SW302, and the like. SW303) and a wireless receiver 310. In this embodiment, the rotary switch R_SW uses Alps (R) EC12E12244 as a well known rotary switch of the infinite loop type called "jog dial". Generally, this rotary switch R_SW has a signal output terminal for generating different pulse signals in accordance with clockwise and counterclockwise rotation. The center of the rotary switch (R_SW) is provided with a push button switch SW301 circulating in the same center. Under the rotary switch R_SW, two push button switches SW302 and SW303 are provided. Five light emitting diodes LED301, LED302, LED303, LED304 and LED305 are radially disposed around the top of the rotary switch R_SW, and the other two light emitting diodes LED306 and LED307 are two button switches SW302 and SW303) is provided at the center of each.

The rotary switch R_SW is used to select one of a plurality of application programs registered in the shell program. In this embodiment, the programs executable by the selection control panel 300 are, for example, "Internet browser program", "document editor program", "Windows operating system program", "learning program" and "game program". to be. The five light emitting diodes LED301, LED302, LED303, LED304 and LED305 are for displaying the application selected according to the rotation of the rotary switch R_SW. A corresponding one of the five light emitting diodes LED301, LED302, LED303, LED304, and LED305 is turned on to indicate the selected application program according to the rotation direction of the selection switch R_SW. The button switch SW301 is used as an "Enter" key for executing the application program selected by the rotary switch R_SW. The button switch SW302 is used as a "speech recognition" key for activating / deactivating the speech recognition function of the computer system. When the button switch SW302 is input, the voice recognition program is executed to activate the speech recognition function. . When the voice recognition program is running, when the button switch SW302 is input, the voice recognition program ends and the voice recognition function is deactivated. According to the activation / deactivation state of the speech recognition function, the light emitting diode LED306 is turned on / off to indicate to the user the activation / deactivation state of the speech recognition function. The button switch (SW303) is used as the "auto recovery" key to run the auto recovery program. When the button switch SW303 is input, the automatic recovery program is executed. When the automatic recovery program is running, the light emitting diode LED307 is turned on so that the user can know that the automatic recovery program is running. The wireless receiver 310 is mounted to be exposed to the outside of the front bezel of the system body. In this embodiment, the remote controller 400 outputs an infrared signal, and the wireless receiver 310 receives an infrared signal.

In this embodiment, the wireless signal uses an infrared signal, but various types of wireless signals such as a radio signal may be used. In addition, although a plurality of light emitting diodes are used to display the state of the control panel 300, other display devices such as a small liquid crystal display module or a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) may be used. Such modifications can be readily made by those skilled in the art.

3 shows an external appearance of the remote controller of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 shows a circuit configuration of the remote controller of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 3, a plurality of button switches 430, 432, and 434 for remote control are positioned at an upper end of the remote controller 400 of the present invention, and one side of the remote controller 400 is turned on / off. The power button switch 460 is positioned. 4, the remote controller 400 includes a wireless transmitter 410, a microcontroller 420, button switches 430, 432 and 434, an EEPROM 440, a battery 450 and a power button. Switch 460. Button switches 430, 432, and 434, a wireless transmitter 410, and an EEPROM 440 are connected to the microcontroller 420. The power button switch 460 is connected to the battery 450 and switches the power supply to the respective circuit configurations. The EEPROM 440 stores a user's unique password. The password stored in the EEPROM 440 is equally stored in the EEPROM provided in the control panel 300 of the system main body 200. This will be described later.

The first button switch 430 has a function to power on, sleep, and wake up the computer system. The second and third button switches 432 and 434 provide a function for executing an application program corresponding to each button switch when the computer system is in operation, and when the computer system is in the power-off state, the second and third button switches 432 and 434 correspond to the power-on of the computer system. Has the function to run the application. In this embodiment, the button switch for executing the program is limited to two, but a larger number of button switches may be provided. However, having too many button switches can be confusing to the user, so it is desirable to limit them to the appropriate number.

FIG. 5 shows the operation of the microcontroller of the remote controller of FIG. 4 in a flowchart, and FIG. 6 shows the packet data configuration generated by the microcontroller of the remote controller of FIG. Referring to FIG. 5, when the microcontroller 420 starts controlling in step S100, the microcontroller 420 checks the states of the plurality of button switches 430, 432, and 434 in step S110. In step S120, it is determined whether there is an input of a button switch. When the input of the button switch is generated, packet data is generated in step S130, and the packet data is wirelessly transmitted through the wireless transmitter 410 in step S140.

As shown in FIG. 6, the packet data 470 generated by the microcontroller 420 is composed of a 16-bit password 472, a 2-bit key code 474, and 3-bit CRC data 476. It is composed. The password 472 is unique password data stored in the EEPROM 440, the key code 474 is data corresponding to the input button switch, and the CRC data 476 is data for detecting a transmission error. The packet data 470 is only one embodiment and may use various wireless transmission / reception protocols.

7 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the computer system of FIG. 6. Referring to FIG. 7, a computer system includes a host bus 220, a peripheral component interconnect bus 225, and an industry standard architecture bus 230. Basically, the computer system includes a central processing unit 235 connected to the host bus 220, a host-to-PCI bridge 245 connected between the host bus 220 and the PCI bus 225, A graphics controller 240 and a main memory 250 connected to the host-to-PCI bridge 245 are included. The display monitor 120 is connected to the graphic controller 240. The computer system includes a PCI-to-ISA bridge 255 connected between the PCI bus 225 and the ISA bus 230, and a hard disk drive 260 connected to the PCI-to-ISA bridge 255. The computer system also includes a basic input output system (BIOS) 265, a super input output (Super I / O) 270, and an audio controller 275, which are connected to the ISA bus 230. . The keyboard 100 and the mouse 110 are connected to the super I / O 270. A speaker system (not shown) and a microphone 130 are connected to the audio controller 275. The selection control panel 300 of the present invention is connected to the super I / O 270 and the PCI-to-ISA bridge 250 via signal lines 280, 285, and 290, respectively. Although not shown in the drawing, as is well known, a cache memory, a floppy disk drive, a CD-ROM drive, a modem, a power supply, and the like are provided.

The host-to-PCI bridge 245 is well known for controlling memory control, graphical interfaces, host-to-PCI bus interfaces, and the like. This is a chipset commonly referred to as a "system controller", the Intel 82443BX PCI / A.G.P controller (PAC). The main memory 250 is generally composed of DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The PCI-to-ISA bridge 255 includes a PCI-to-ISA bus interface, an integrated development environment (IDE) interface, system power management, general purpose input output (GPIO), direct memory access (DMA), It is well known to control Universal Serial Bus (USB) and the like. This includes the Intel 82371EB PCI ISA IDE Xcelerator (PIIX4E). Super I / O 270 is well known for controlling keyboards, serial / parallel I / O, floppy disk drivers, and the like. This includes the SMC FDC37C777 I / O Controller.

The control panel 300 receives system status information through a signal line 285 connected to a general purpose input output (GPIO) terminal of the PCI-to-ISA bridge 255. In addition, a key scan code corresponding to an input of the rotary switch R_SW and the plurality of button switches SW301, SW302, and SW303 or a wireless input of the remote controller 400 is generated to generate a key scan code through the signal line 280. Input to a keyboard controller (not shown) in super I / O 270. The keyboard controller (not shown) in the super I / O 270 processes the input key scan code in the same manner as the general key input processing. Signal line 280 is a keyboard clock and keyboard data line that is also connected to keyboard 100. In addition, the control panel 300 inputs a power control signal for powering on and waking up the system to the system power manager (not shown) in the PCI-to-ISA bridge 255 through the signal line 290. The system power manager (not shown) in the PCI-to-ISA bridge 255 controls the power supply (not shown) in response to a power control signal input from the power button switch 210 or the selection control panel 300. Power on / off or sleep / wake up the system.

8 is a detailed block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the control panel of FIG. 7. Referring to FIG. 8, the control panel 300 includes a rotary switch R_SW, a plurality of push button switches SW301, SW302, and SW303, a plurality of light emitting diodes LED301, LED302, LED303, LED304, LED305, LED306, and LED307), microcontroller 320, multiple resistors R301, R302, R303, R304, R305, R306, R307, R311, R312, R313, R314 and R315, Crystal Oscillator 330, EEPROM 330 and a wireless receiver 310.

The rotary switch R_SW has two output terminals and a ground terminal for outputting two different pulse signals CW and CCW. Two output terminals are connected to input terminals of the microcontroller 320 via pull-up resistors R311 and R312 supplied with an operating voltage Vcc. Push button switches SW301, SW302 and SW303 are connected to other input terminals of microcontroller 320 via pull-up resistors R313, R314 and R315 supplied with an operating voltage Vcc. Output terminals of the microcontroller 320 are connected to one end of the light emitting diodes LED301, LED302, LED303, LED304, LED305, LED306, and LED307, respectively, and the light emitting diodes LED301, LED302, LED303, LED304, LED305, LED306, and The other end of the LED307 is connected to the resistors R311, R312, R313, R314 and R315 connected to the operating voltage Vcc, respectively. The microcontroller 320 also includes an output terminal for outputting the key scan code data KBD_DAT and the keyboard clock KBD_CLK to the super I / O 270. And an input for receiving the output terminal for outputting the power control signal P_S to / from the PCI-to-ISA bridge 255, the system status information data SSI_DAT, the clock signal SSI_CLK, and the busy signal SSI_BUSY. With terminals. The crystal oscillator 330 is connected to the clock input terminal of the microcontroller 320. The wireless receiver 310 and the EEPROM 330 are connected to the microcontroller 320, respectively. The wireless receiver 310 receives a signal transmitted wirelessly from the remote controller 400, converts the signal into an electrical signal, and inputs the signal to the microcontroller 320. The EEPROM 330 stores the same password as the password stored in the remote controller 400. In this embodiment, the microcontroller 320 is KS57C0504N manufactured by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

FIG. 9 illustrates an internal register included in the microcontroller of the control panel of FIG. 7. Referring to FIG. 9, the microcontroller 320 scans a first register 321 for storing system state information, a second register 322 for storing state information of a rotary switch, and a key scan in which key scan codes are stored. A code table 323 is included. The key scan code consists of a combination of keyboard scan codes that are not used in the system. An example of a combination of key scan codes used in this embodiment is shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1

Key scan code Keyboard key combinations My                                              uh                                              tile                                              Board Internet E0 1F 14 11 23 E0 F0 14 F0 11 F0 23 CTRL + WIN + ALT + D document E0 1F 14 11 1C E0 F0 14 F0 11 F0 1C CTRL + WIN + ALT + A window E0 1F 14 11 1B E0 F0 14 F0 11 F0 1B CTRL + WIN + ALT + S learning E0 1F 14 11 2D E0 F0 14 F0 11 F0 2D CTRL + WIN + ALT + R game E0 1F 14 11 2B E0 F0 14 F0 11 F0 2B CTRL + WIN + ALT + F Voice recognition button E0 1F 14 11 22 E0 F0 14 F0 11 F0 22 CTRL + WIN + ALT + X Auto Recovery Button E0 1F 14 11 1A E0 F0 14 F0 11 F0 1A CTRL + WIN + ALT + Z Remote control Button switch 430 E0 1F 14 11 15 E0 F0 14 F0 11 F0 15 CTRL + WIN + ALT + Q Button switch 432 E0 1F 14 11 1D E0 F0 14 F0 11 F0 1D CTRL + WIN + ALT + W Button switch 434 E0 1F 14 11 24 E0 F0 14 F0 11 F0 24 CTRL + WIN + ALT + E

The microcontroller 320 stores the received system state information in the first register 321. System state information includes various data about the current time and the operating state of the system. And alarm time information for causing the computer system to operate at a specified time. The microcontroller 320 determines the rotation direction by inputting the pulse signals CW and CCW generated as the rotary switch R_SW rotates, and counts the generated pulses to count the rotation switch of the second register 322. Change the information and turn on the corresponding light emitting diode. Upon input of the button switches SW301, SW302, and SW303, the microcontroller 320 reads out the corresponding key scan code from the key scan code table 323 and outputs it to the keyboard controller (not shown) in the super I / O 270. do. In addition, when a remote control signal is input from the remote controller 400, the password stored in the EEPROM 330 is compared with the received password, and if it matches, the corresponding key scan code is read from the corresponding key scan code table 323, and then the super Output to keyboard control (not shown) in I / O 270. The microcontroller 320 inputs a power control signal according to power control to a system power management unit (not shown) in the PCI-to-ISA bridge 255.

FIG. 10 shows an interface model of the control panel of FIG. 1 with a remote controller and related programs. Referring to FIG. 10, a computer system is largely composed of a hardware layer 500, a BIOS layer 510, an operating system layer 520, and an application layer 530. It has a hierarchical structure composed of). Looking at the parts related to the control panel 300 and the remote controller 400 according to the present invention, the hardware layer 500 includes a system power management unit 256 and GPIO 257 included in the PCI-to-ISA bridge 255 , A keyboard controller 272 in the super I / O 270, a power supply 295 and an audio controller 275. The BIOS layer 510 includes a BIOS 265, and the operating system layer 520 includes an operating system (not shown), a virtual keyboard driver 522, an automatic log on program 524, and an audio driver 526. have. The application program layer 530 includes a shell program 532, various application programs 534, an automatic recovery program 536, and a voice recognition program 538 related to the control panel 300 and the remote controller 400. The wireless receiving panel 300 and the system power manager 256 always receive power when the power supply device 295 receives external power.

The microcontroller 320 of the control panel 300 includes a remote control signal of the remote controller 400 input through the wireless receiver 310 or a plurality of switch buttons SW301, SW302, and SW303 provided in the control panel 300. In response to an input of), a signal related to power control is input to the system power manager 256 or a key scan code is input to the keyboard controller 272. In addition, the system state information is received from the shell program 532 through the GPIO 257. The key scan code input to the keyboard controller 272 is input to the virtual keyboard driver 522 by the BIOS 265. The virtual keyboard driver 522 inputs the shell program 532 when the input key scan code is a key scan code assigned to the control panel 300 or the remote controller 400. The shell program 532 executes a program corresponding to the input key scan code. When the computer system is remotely started up by the remote controller 400, the BIOS 265 skips the password checking process, and the automatic log on program 524 causes automatic log on to the operating system. The detailed description will be described later. The system power manager 256 receives the power control signals from the power button switch 210 and the microcontroller 320 to control the power supply device 295. The system power management unit 346 supports the ACPI standard as described above. The voice signal input through the microphone 130 is input to the voice recognition program 538 through the audio controller 275 and the audio driver 526.

More specifically, the specific operation in connection with the configuration of the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of the operation of the microcontroller of the control panel of FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 11, when the microcontroller 320 of the control panel 300 is powered on, operation of the microcontroller 320 starts in step S200. First, the internal registers are initialized in step S210. In step S220, it is determined whether there is an input from the control panel 300. That is, it is determined whether the remote control signal through the button switches SW301, SW302 and SW303 of the control panel 300 or the wireless receiver 310 is input. If there is an input from the control panel 300, the process proceeds to step S230 to perform a subroutine corresponding to each input. If there is no input, the process proceeds to step S240 to determine whether system state information is received. When the system state information is received, the process proceeds to step S250 to store the received system state information in the corresponding register 321. Although not shown in the drawing, the microcontroller 320 changes the value of the register 322 according to the rotation state of the rotary switch R_SW and controls on / off of the light emitting diode corresponding thereto. Then, the on / off of the corresponding light emitting diodes is controlled according to the system state information provided when the system is in operation. Controlling the on / off of the light emitting diode as necessary in each control step can be easily carried out by those skilled in the art.

12 and 13 are flowcharts showing the subroutine of FIG. 11, FIG. 12 shows a process for a button switch input of a control panel, and FIG. 13 shows a process in response to a remote control signal from a remote controller. . First, the input of the button switches of the control panel 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. Step S300 is the start of a subroutine for processing a button switch input. When the button switch input processing routine is started, control proceeds to step S310 to determine whether the system is in normal mode. When the system is in the normal mode, the control proceeds to step S320 to read the key scan code corresponding to the input push button switch from the key scan code table 323 and transmit it to the keyboard controller 272. That is, when the button switch SW301 is input, the corresponding key scan code is transmitted according to the state of the rotary switch R_SW, and when the other button switch SW302 or SW303 is input, the corresponding key scan code is transmitted. .

If the system is not in the normal mode, control proceeds to step S330. In step S330, it is determined whether the system is in the sleep mode. If the system is in the sleep mode, control proceeds to step S380 where the input of the button switch is ignored. If not in the sleep mode, that is, if the system is in the power off mode, control proceeds to step S340. In operation S340, it is determined whether the input button switch is the button switch SW301 corresponding to the enter key. In the case of inputting a button switch other than the input of the button switch SW301, the process proceeds to step S380 and the input of the button switch is ignored. In the case of inputting the button switch SW301, the control proceeds to step S350. In operation S350, a power control signal for powering on the system is generated and input to the system power manager 256 through the signal line 290. The system power manager 256 controls the power supply device 295 in response to the power control signal input in step S350 to power on the system. When the system is powered on, the boot process proceeds. Subsequently, in step S360, it is determined whether the booting of the system is completed. When booting of the system is completed, in step S370 the key scan code corresponding to the application program selected by the rotary switch R_SW is transmitted to the keyboard controller 272, and the subroutine is completed in step S380.

In this embodiment, the input of the button switches SW301, SW302, and SW303 is ignored when the computer system is in the sleep mode, but in the sleep mode, the microcontroller 320 receives the input of the button switches to wake up the system. It may be processed to execute the corresponding program, this modification can be easily carried out by those skilled in the art.

Subsequently, a process of processing the input of the remote control signal will be described with reference to FIG. 13. In step S400, a subroutine for remote control signal input processing is started. In operation S405, it is determined whether the password included in the received remote control signal matches the password stored in the EEPROM 330. If they do not match, the processing of the subroutine is completed in step S440. If the passwords match, control proceeds to step S410. In step S410, it is determined whether the system is in a power off state. If the system is in the power off state, control proceeds to step S415. In step S415, the system is powered on. That is, the microcontroller 320 inputs a power control signal for power-on to the system power manager 256. Accordingly, the system power manager 256 controls the power supply device 295 to supply power to the system. Booting begins when the system is powered up. In step S420, the remote start information is input to the keyboard controller 272. Accordingly, the BIOS 265 stores the remote start information in the specific area of the BIOS memory area. This information will be described later, but is referred to in the password checking process by the BIOS and in the process of determining remote start-up in the automatic log-on operation by the automatic log-on program. In step S425, it is determined whether the booting process is completed. The determination of whether the booting is completed may detect that the booting is completed by the system state information first provided from the shell program 532 after the booting is completed. When the booting process is completed, it is determined whether the application program is automatically executed in step S430. That is, it is determined whether the key code included in the received packet data corresponds to the second or third button switch 432 or 434. When the application is automatically executed, the process proceeds to step S435 where the corresponding key scan code is input to the keyboard controller 272. Accordingly, the shell program 532 executes the corresponding application program 534.

Again, if the system is not in the power off state, control proceeds from step S410 to step S445. In step S445, it is determined whether the system is in the normal mode. If the system is in the normal mode, the flow proceeds to step S450 to determine whether the remote control for the sleep mode switch. That is, it is determined whether the key code included in the received packet data is the key code corresponding to the first button switch 430. If it is the remote control for switching to the sleep mode, the system is switched to the sleep mode in step S455. That is, the microcontroller 320 inputs a power control signal for switching the system to the sleep mode to the system power manager 256. However, if the input of the second or third button switch 432 or 434 for executing the application program proceeds to step S460 to transmit the corresponding key scan code to the keyboard controller 272.

If the system is not in the normal mode, the system is in the sleep mode, and control proceeds from step S445 to step S465. In step S465, it is determined whether or not the remote control for switching to the normal mode. That is, it is determined whether the first button switch 430 is input to wake up the system from the sleep mode. If the remote control to switch to the normal mode, go to step S470 to wake up the system. That is, the microcontroller 320 inputs a power control signal to the system power manager 256 to wake up the system. In this embodiment, when the system is in sleep mode, the input of the second or third button switch 432 or 434 for executing the application is ignored. However, in response to the input of the second or third button switch 432 or 434 for running the application in the sleep mode, the system may also wake up and process the application to run. It can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art.

14 is a flowchart illustrating a password checking operation of the BIOS of FIG. 10. Referring to FIG. 14, if the password checking function is set during the booting process, the BIOS 265 starts the password checking routine in step S500. In step S510, it is determined whether booting by remote control is performed. In this step, it is determined whether the remote startup information is stored in a specific area of the above-described BIOS memory area. If the remote start information is stored, the password checking process is skipped and the process proceeds to step S530 to complete the password checking. However, if the remote start information is not stored, a password input message is output to the display monitor 120 in step S520, a password is input from a user in step S530, and in step S540, a password stored in a CMOS memory (not shown) is stored. It is determined whether the input password matches, and if it does not match, the flow advances to step S560 to output the password re-entry message. The general password checking process by the BIOS 265 as described above is performed.

FIG. 15 shows a flowchart of the operation of the automatic log-on program of FIG. 10. Referring to FIG. 15, when the booting process by the BIOS is completed, the booting process by the operating system is performed. As the booting process by the operating system proceeds, an automatic log on program 524 is executed before logging on to the operating system. The automatic log on program 524 starts an operation for automatic log on in step S600. In step S610 it is determined whether the boot by the remote control. That is, as in the operation of the BIOS 265 described above, it is determined whether remote startup information is stored in a specific area of the BIOS memory area. If it is determined that the remote start-up, the process proceeds to step S620, in which case the automatic log-on operation is not performed. In operation S620, an automatic log on operation to the operating system is performed. In other words, the user's ID and password are entered into the operating system to be automatically logged on. As such, when the computer system is powered on by the remote controller, the password checking process by the BIOS and the log on operation to the operating system are automatically processed.

16 shows a flowchart of the operation of the shell program of FIG. Referring to FIG. 16, when the log on process to the operating system is completed and the booting process by the operating system is completed, the shell program 532 is executed. The shell program 532 starts its operation in step S700. In step S710, the system state information is input to the microcontroller 320 of the control panel 300 through the GPIO 257 as described above. In operation S720, the virtual keyboard driver 522 determines whether a key scan code is input by the remote control. If a key scan code is input, the process proceeds to step S730 to execute the corresponding application program 534. In step S740, it is determined whether the system state has changed. If the system state is changed, the process proceeds to step S710. If the system state is not changed, the process proceeds to step S720.

As described above, the shell program 532 executes a corresponding application 534 according to the input key scan code data, and when the system state is changed, the changed system state information is controlled through the control panel GPIO 257. Provided to the microcontroller 320 of (300). For example, when the system changes from the normal mode to the sleep mode or the power off mode, information about the changed mode is provided to the microcontroller 320. The same applies to the change from the sleep mode or the power off mode to the normal mode. The user may selectively register an application program to be executed by the control panel 300 and the remote controller 400 in the shell program 532.

17 is a diagram illustrating a window of the shell program of FIG. 10. The shell program window 600 shown in FIG. 17 is a name registration item 610 of an application program selected by the control panel 300 and the remote controller 400 as items for registering an application program. The description item 620, the directory designation item 630 in which the corresponding application program is stored, and the runtime parameter setting item 640 provided when the corresponding application program is executed. A user may register a desired application program using the items of the shell program window 600, and the registered application program may be executed by the control panel 300 and the remote controller 400. It can be easily changed by those skilled in the art that the number of applications that a user can selectively register and execute can be increased or decreased.

In the above, the configuration and operation of the circuit according to the present invention are shown in accordance with the above description and drawings, but this is merely described, for example, and various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. .

According to the present invention as described above, a user can arbitrarily select an application program to be executed automatically after the computer system is booted using the selection control panel. In addition, the user can freely change an application selected by the selection control panel using a shell program. Therefore, the user can use the computer system more conveniently. In addition, users of computer systems have their own unique remote controller, which makes the computer easier to use, and the remote controller is provided with a password, thereby improving security. In addition, since a remote controller executes a system from booting a system to executing a desired application when the system is driven, delays due to password input and log-on of the operating system do not occur as in the prior art.

Claims (17)

In a computer system: A remote controller for wirelessly outputting a remote control signal including password data and a control code for remotely controlling the system; At least one switch unit for controlling the operation of the computer system and a wireless receiving unit for receiving the remote control signal, the remote control signal being received from the remote controller When the password included in the remote control signal is a legitimate user's password, input first data corresponding to the control code included in the received remote control signal to the system, and in response to the switching of the at least one switch unit; A control panel for inputting second data into the system; Receiving the first data or the second data and outputting a command to execute an operation corresponding to each of the received data among a plurality of operations to be executed by the remote controller or the at least one switch unit; A processing unit; And a memory unit storing a routine for causing the processing unit to output an instruction for executing the operation when the first data or the second data is received at the processing unit. The method of claim 1, The remote controller is: A memory unit for storing the password data; At least one remote control switch unit for remotely controlling the system; A remote control signal connected to the memory unit, the at least one switch unit, respectively, and including password data stored in the memory and a control code corresponding to the switched switch unit in response to the switching of the at least one switch unit; A control unit for generating a; And a wireless transmission unit connected to the control unit and wirelessly outputting a remote control signal generated by the control unit. The method of claim 2, The at least one remote control switch unit A first switch unit for switching the power on / sleep mode of the system; And a second switch unit corresponding to the plurality of operations. The method of claim 1, The control panel is: A memory for storing a password identical to that of the remote controller; Connected to the radio receiving unit, the at least one switch unit, and the memory unit, respectively, receiving a remote control signal through the radio receiving unit, and a password included in the remote control signal matches a password stored in the memory unit; And a control unit for generating the first data and inputting the system to the system, and generating and inputting the second data to the system in response to the switching of the at least one switch unit. . The method of claim 4, wherein The at least one switch unit A first switch unit for selecting one of the plurality of operations and a second switch unit for instructing execution of the selected operation. The method of claim 5, The first switch unit And a rotary switch having at least two signal output terminals for outputting a plurality of direction signals corresponding to the rotation direction selected in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions. The method of claim 6, The second switch unit And a push button switch coupled to the center of the rotary switch. The method of claim 5, The control panel An operation connected to the control unit and including a display for indicating an operation selected in accordance with the switching of the first switch unit, wherein the control unit is selected by the first switch unit in response to the switching of the first switch unit; And control to display on the display. The method of claim 1, And the control panel is mounted to a front bezel of the system body. The method of claim 4, wherein The computer system A keyboard controller configured between said processing unit and said control unit, said control unit transmitting said first and second data to said processing unit via a keyboard data / clock line of said keyboard controller. system. The method of claim 1, And the plurality of operations correspond to a plurality of application programs registered in the routine. The method of claim 4, wherein The computer system A power supply for powering the system and power management means for controlling the power supply of the power supply; The control unit is connected to the power management means, and when the control unit receives the remote control signal when the system is in the power off state, the password included in the received remote control signal matches the password included in the memory. Providing a power control signal to said power management means for powering on said system. The method of claim 12, The controller provides remote startup information to indicate that the system is powered on by the remote controller when the system is powered on by the remote controller, and the system is performed in a booting process of the system when the remote startup information is input. And skip the password checking function. A control method of a computer system having a remote controller and a control panel for selecting one of a plurality of operations, the method comprising: Determining whether there is input from at least one switch unit provided in the remote controller or the control panel to select one of the plurality of operations; When a remote control signal including a password data and a remote control code is input from the remote controller, determining whether the password data included in the remote control signal matches password data included in a system; If the passwords match, generating first data corresponding to a remote control code included in the remote control signal; Generating second data corresponding to the switching signal when a switching signal of at least one switch unit of the control panel is input; And executing one of the plurality of operations corresponding to the first data or the second data. The method of claim 14, Determining a power supply state of the computer system when a remote control signal including password data corresponding to a password provided in the system is received; If the system is powered off, powering on the system; And generating first data corresponding to a control code included in the remote control signal when the system is powered on and starts a normal operation. The method of claim 15, Determining whether the system is powered on by the remote controller, and if the system is powered on by the remote controller, a password checking step by the BIOS is skipped. . The method of claim 16, When the system is powered on by the remote controller, the log-on step of the operating system is to proceed automatically.

Images