KR100953967B1 - Method and apparatus for controlling encoder switch of notebook computer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control device and method of an encoder switch of a notebook computer capable of performing up or down control of various functions using an encoder switch. To this end, the present invention includes a single encoder switch in the notebook computer, and can set the encoder switch to a desired function execution state using a function key. With this control, the present invention can control to perform functions such as screen size adjustment, volume control, screen scrolling, etc. using one encoder switch.

Notebook Computer, Encoder Switch

Description

Control device and method of encoder switch of notebook computer {Method and apparatus for controlling encoder switch of notebook computer}             

1 is a perspective view of a notebook computer according to the present invention,

2 is a control block diagram of a notebook computer according to the present invention,

3 is a control block diagram for signal transmission between a keyboard and a keyboard controller in a notebook computer according to the present invention,

4a is an operating principle diagram of an encoder switch according to the present invention;

4B is an input / output signal waveform diagram of an encoder switch of a notebook computer according to the present invention;

5 is a control block diagram for signal transmission between an encoder switch and a keyboard controller of a notebook computer according to the present invention;

6 is a flowchart illustrating an encoder switch operation control of the notebook computer according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

2: button unit 4: touch pad

5: encoder switch 7: keyboard

203: Keyboard Controller

The present invention relates to an encoder switch of a notebook computer, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling an encoder switch of a notebook computer for multi-function control.

Background Art A conventional notebook computer is largely composed of an LCD display and a main body portion, and includes a keyboard on which an upper part of the main body portion can input various characters, figures, and key signals. A touch pad is provided separately from the keyboard.

The keyboard is provided with various character keys, various function keys, for example, an uppercase letter selection key, a numeric input key, and the like. The uppercase letter selection key is a conversion key for converting an English alphabet key provided on the keyboard to uppercase or lowercase letters, and the numeric input key is a numeric common key provided on the keyboard (usually numbers and various special character keys are used in common). Is a toggle key for converting numbers to numbers.

As described above, the various keys included in the keyboard output a key signal selected by a user's selection, and the keyboard controller which inputs the key signal performs control according to the corresponding key. Therefore, a keyboard cable for signal transmission is connected between the keyboard controller and various key buttons in the keyboard.

In the case of notebook computers, however, a keyboard is provided at the top of the main body, and the focus is on reducing the volume. This is because notebook computers are used as portable devices. In the case of portable devices, they should be light in weight and small in volume. Also, in recent years, the pursuit of convenience in use.

Therefore, the keyboard provided in the conventional notebook computer, because of the limitation of the portable device as described above, the number of buttons provided was bound to be limited. Therefore, it is difficult to provide buttons with various functions, which causes a problem that the actual notebook computer does not fully exhibit the functions.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an apparatus and method for controlling an encoder switch of a notebook computer for controlling various functions using an encoder switch.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for controlling an encoder switch of a notebook computer capable of performing up or down control of a specific function using an encoder switch.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for controlling an encoder switch of a notebook computer, which can control scroll up / down, volume up / down, and screen up / down by using one encoder switch.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling an encoder switch of a notebook computer, by using a specific function key to set computer functions that require UP control and DOWN control. Monitoring which of the function keys is input; After decrypting the input key, setting an input signal of an encoder switch to a function corresponding to the input key; And performing up control and down control of a function corresponding to the input key according to an input signal of an encoder switch.

In addition, the control device of the encoder switch of the notebook computer according to the present invention, the encoder switch for generating a signal according to the up control and down control; Specific function keys for setting computer functions requiring up control and down control; When an arbitrary function key is selected, the controller includes a keyboard controller which sets and controls the up / down signal of the encoder switch to a function corresponding to the selected function key.

The computer functions are a screen scroll function, a volume control function, and a screen enlargement / reduction function.

The encoder switch is characterized in that only one configuration.

Hereinafter, an apparatus and method for controlling an encoder switch of a notebook computer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The encoder switch is used for various electronic devices. It is used for menu selection in microwave ovens or gas ovens, and for volume control in audio systems and DVD systems. That is, the encoder switch can be used for up or down control of a specific function. The present invention is characterized by controlling so that various functions of the computer can be set and used by using the features of the encoder switch. In the present invention, an encoder switch is used to control scroll up / down, volume up / down, and screen enlargement up / down.

1 is a perspective view of a notebook computer according to the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, the notebook computer of the present invention is composed of an LCD display 3 and a main body 1, and various characters, figures, and key signals can be inputted on the upper end of the main body 1. The keyboard 7 is provided. The keyboard 7 is composed of a button portion 2, a touch pad 4, and an encoder switch 5.

2 shows a control configuration of a notebook computer according to the present invention.

The central processing unit 10 of the notebook computer is connected to the host PCI bridge 12 via a bus. The host PC eye bridge 12 is connected with a video controller 11 and a video RAM 14 for controlling a video signal, and a memory 13 for storing programs and data of the system. The video signal controlled by the video controller 11 is displayed on the LCD 19.

The host PC bridge 12 connects an audio controller 15 for controlling an audio signal, a LAN controller 16, and a card bus controller 17. A PC-ISA Bridge 18 is connected. The microcom 20 is connected to the PC-I-S bridge 18 through a bus line.                     

The PSA-IS Bridge 18 includes a CMOS RAM 180, and the microcomputer 20 includes a ROM 200, a RAM 201, and a keyboard controller 203. ) Is configured to include. The keyboard controller 203 is connected to the keyboard 7 via a keyboard cable.

The notebook computer having such a configuration performs overall control of the overall functions provided in the system in the central processing unit 10, and the central processing unit 10, the memory 13, the video controller 11, and various kinds thereof. Data transfer and control with the peripheral device is performed by the host PC bridge 12. In addition, auxiliary control of the CPU 10 is performed by the PC-AS Bridge 18 like the host PC Bridge 12. The PC-AS Bridge 18 controls various peripheral devices including the audio controller 15 and the microcomputer 20.

In addition, an encoder switch signal and various button signals input from the keyboard 7 of the present invention are input to the keyboard controller 203, and the keyboard controller 203 decodes the corresponding signal to control the control accordingly. do.

Next, Figure 3 shows a detailed configuration for transmitting a signal between the keyboard controller and the keyboard according to the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, the keyboard 7 of the present invention includes a button portion 2 having various buttons 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d ...., a touch pad 4, and an encoder switch. (5) is included.                     

In addition, a keyboard cable 8 is connected between each button of the keyboard 7 and the encoder switch 5 and the keyboard controller 203, so that the selection signal of the keyboard 7 is transmitted through the keyboard cable 8. It is transmitted to the keyboard controller 203.

Figure 4a shows a circuit diagram for explaining the operation principle of the encoder switch in the notebook computer according to the present invention.

As shown, the encoder switch 5 has three terminals Q, R, and X. As shown in FIG.

That is, the encoder switch 5 connects the power supply terminal VCC to the first terminal Q through the resistor R1. In addition, the encoder switch 5 connects the power supply terminal VCC to the second terminal R through a resistor R2. And the last one terminal (X) of the encoder switch 5 will be connected to ground.

The encoder switch 5 is provided with switches SW1 and SW2 for indicating an operating state therein. That is, the switch SW2 is in a contact state when rotating clockwise, and the switch SW1 is in a contact state when rotating in a counterclockwise direction, thereby outputting a signal.

The encoder switch configured in this manner can transmit a signal to the keyboard controller as shown in the output waveform diagram shown in FIG. 4B.

That is, since the encoder switch 5 is configured to be rotatable in both directions, when rotated clockwise, the R signal is shifted by 90 degrees with respect to the P signal, and the phase difference is increased by +90 degrees. In the direction of rotation, the Q signal is shifted by 90 degrees with respect to the P signal, and the negative phase is shifted by 90 degrees. Therefore, when the P signal is high, the terminals Q and R of the encoder switch 5 are UP controlled when the R signal is a rising edge, and the falling edge is falling. The back control is made so that it is possible to control a desired function. It is also possible to determine the size of the up (down) by counting the number of input rising edges (or falling edges).

Next, FIG. 5 shows a detailed configuration diagram for signal transmission between the keyboard controller and the encoder switch according to the present invention.

As shown, the encoder switch 5 is connected to the keyboard controller 203 via two keyboard cables 8. The encoder switch 5 has three terminals.

That is, the encoder switch 5 connects one keyboard cable 8a to the first terminal Q, and through a resistor R1 at a connection point between the first terminal Q and the keyboard cable 8a. The power supply terminal VCC is connected. In addition, the encoder switch 5 connects the other keyboard cable 8b to the second terminal R, and connects the resistor R2 to the connection point between the second terminal R and the keyboard cable 8b. The power supply terminal VCC is connected. Ground is connected to the last terminal X of the encoder switch 5. However, unlike the above configuration, it is also possible to connect the power supply terminal VCC to the terminal X, and to connect the ground and pull down resistors to the other two terminals Q and R.                     

On the other hand, in the present invention, as shown in Fig. 6, various functions can be controlled using one encoder switch 5. That is, by setting the function key and the specific key, it is determined which function the encoder switch 5 is used for.

For example, the function key 2d and the A button 2a are set to scroll up / down of the screen, the function key 2d and the B button 2b are set to volume up / down, and the function keys 2d and The C button 2c is set to enlarge / reduce the screen (step 300).

After the above key setting, when the user selects a specific button and a function key (step 310), the encoder switch 5 is set to the up / down function control (step 320, step 330, Step 340).

Thereafter, when the user selects the encoder switch 5 and performs up or down control, corresponding functions are controlled (steps 350, 360, and 370).

In step 360, the volume control performs a control to set the volume higher than the current state in the keyboard controller 203, and adjusts the current audio output sound higher in the audio controller 15 which inputs this signal. . In step 360, the screen size control is performed by the keyboard controller 203 to control the output screen of the LCD 19 to be larger than the current state, and the video controller 11 inputs the signal to the current screen. Adjust the screen output to be larger than the output status. In the 360th step, the screen scroll control performs a control to scroll the output screen of the LCD 19 to the right in the keyboard controller 203 and outputs the current screen in the video controller 11 which inputs this signal. This will control to scroll the state to the right.

On the contrary, in the step 370, the volume control controls the keyboard controller 203 to set the volume smaller than the current state, and the audio controller 15 which inputs this signal adjusts the current audio output sound smaller. do. In step 360, the screen size control is performed by the keyboard controller 203 to control the output screen of the LCD 19 to be smaller than the current state, and the video controller 11 inputs the signal to the current screen. Adjust the screen output to be smaller than the output status. In step 360, the screen scroll control controls the scrolling of the output screen of the LCD 19 to the left by the keyboard controller 203, and outputs the current screen by the video controller 11 inputting the signal. It will control to scroll the status to the left.

In addition to the present invention, it is also possible to set up / down functions of a page in the current document by using an encoder. Therefore, it is preferable that the function key setting process of the encoder switch of the 300th step is additionally performed by the user, and the set key is stored in the CMOS RAM 180 and can be repeatedly used until the user resets. It is desirable to.

As described above, in the present invention, one encoder switch 5 may be set to a desired function by using a function key, and the keyboard controller 203 performs up / down control of the corresponding function according to the selected function key. do. For the user's convenience, the encoder switch is preferably one that can be turned to the right and left with a light finger like a switch used for a video editing operation.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the detailed description of the specification but should be defined by the claims.

The control device and method of the encoder switch of the notebook computer according to the present invention described above can obtain the following effects.

First, the present invention can conveniently control the up / down of various functions by using one encoder switch. Therefore, various functions can be controlled using a single switch, thereby reducing the number of parts used and manufacturing cost.

Second, since the present invention controls up / down of various functions using one encoder switch, the keyboard button of the notebook computer can be shortened. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the volume of the notebook computer.

Third, the present invention makes it possible to use functions such as screen enlargement, screen scrolling, volume control, and page turning more conveniently by using an encoder switch.

Claims (4)

A portable computer comprising a main body portion on which a keyboard is arranged on an upper surface, and a display portion rotatably installed on one side of the main body portion. The keyboard, A keypad including a plurality of input keys; A touch pad for sensing a touch input from a user; An encoder for selectively performing a plurality of assigned functions by generating an up signal and a down signal according to the rotation direction; And It is configured to include a keyboard controller for receiving a signal generated from the keypad, the touch pad and the encoder switch to transfer a user command to the main body, The plurality of input keys of the keypad includes at least one function change key for selecting any one of a plurality of functions of the encoder switch, And the keyboard controller switches a function performed by an up signal and a down signal input through the encoder switch according to the input of the function change key. The method of claim 1, A plurality of functions assigned to the encoder switch, A portable computer comprising at least one of a screen scroll function, a volume control function, and a screen zoom function. The method of claim 1, The encoder switch, And a portable computer provided adjacent to the touch pad. delete

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