TW202008178A - Docking device - Google Patents

Abstract

A docking device operates in an active mode or a passive mode. The docking device includes a path control module, a processing module and a switch. The processing module is connected to the path control module, and the switch is connected between the path control module and the processing module. The path control module is configured to receive a signal from a host device. When the path control module does not receive a signal from a host device, the docking device operates in the active mode, and the processing module is connected to a plurality of function modules through the switch. On the other hand, when the path control module receives a signal from a host device, the docking device operates in the passive mode, and the path control module is connected to the function modules through the switch.

Description

Expansion device

The invention relates to an expansion device, in particular to an expansion device that can operate in an active mode or a passive mode.

Generally speaking, mobile devices are designed to be light, thin, and short, which is convenient for users to carry and convenient for users to operate in most environments. However, as mobile devices are limited by their thin, light, and short design requirements, their functions and expandability are relatively limited.

In order to increase the functionality and expandability of the mobile device, users often need to connect the mobile device and the required peripheral devices through the expansion device. For example, the user can connect the keyboard, flash drive, display device and mobile device through the expansion device. In this way, while enjoying the convenience brought by the lightness of the mobile device, the user can also increase the expandability of the mobile device to perform more functions through the mobile device.

That is to say, the role of the existing expansion device is the transfer station between the mobile device and the peripheral device, and its main working mechanism is to transmit the signal provided by the mobile device to the corresponding peripheral device. For example, the video and audio signals provided by the mobile device are transmitted to a display device for playback.

In order to improve the functionality of the expansion device, the present invention provides an expansion device that can operate in an active mode or a passive mode.

The expansion device provided by the invention has a path control module, a processing module and a switch. The processing module is connected to the path control module, and the switch is connected between the path control module and the processing module. The path control module is used to receive a signal from an external device. When the path control module does not receive the signal of the external device, the expansion device operates in the active mode, and the processing module is connected to a plurality of functional modules through the switch, and when the path control module receives the signal of the external device At this time, the expansion device operates in the passive mode, and the path control module is connected to the functional modules through the switch.

In the present invention, when the expansion device operates in the active mode, the processing module receives a control signal through an operation interface. Therefore, the processing module operates according to the aforementioned control signal, and transmits a data signal generated during operation to one of the functional modules to process the aforementioned data signal through one of the functional modules, and The data generated after the signal processing is transferred to a peripheral device. In an embodiment, the aforementioned operation interface includes a plurality of shortcut keys, and each shortcut key is used to trigger a control signal corresponding to a specific function. For example, the aforementioned operation interface is a plurality of mechanical buttons or a touch screen.

The main feature of the expansion device provided by the present invention is that the expansion device of the present invention can not only transfer data signals between a mobile device and a peripheral device, but can also independently generate a data signal and transmit it to the peripheral device.

1‧‧‧Expansion device

10‧‧‧Path control module

20‧‧‧Processing module

30‧‧‧switch

40a, 40b, 40c‧‧‧functional module

210‧‧‧Microprocessor

220‧‧‧Memory

230‧‧‧Communication module

E‧‧‧External device

S‧‧‧Shortcut key

P1, P2‧‧‧ peripheral devices

a, b, c, d ‧‧‧ interface

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an expansion device in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the processing module in the expansion device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an expansion device operating in a passive mode in an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing an expansion device operating in an active mode in an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

In the following, various exemplary embodiments will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some exemplary embodiments are shown. However, the inventive concept may be embodied in many different forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, providing these exemplary embodiments will make the invention detailed and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, similar numbers always indicate similar elements.

It will be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements or components, these elements or components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element or component from another. Therefore, the first element or component discussed below may be referred to as the second element or component without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a block diagram illustrating an expansion device in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the expansion device 1 includes a path control module 10, a processing module 20 and a switch 30. The processing module 20 is connected to the path control module 10. The switch 30 is connected between the path control module 10 and the processing module 20. In addition, the expansion device 1 also includes a plurality of functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c, and a plurality of interfaces a~d. The interfaces a to d are used to connect external devices (such as notebook computers, tablet computers, etc.) or peripheral devices (such as monitors, keyboards, mice, pen drives, etc.).

The expansion device 1 operates in an active mode or a passive mode. In general, the working principle of the expansion device 1 is that when the path control module 10 does not receive a signal from an external device, the expansion device 1 will operate in the active mode, and the processing module 20 will be connected to the switch 30 A plurality of functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c. On the other hand, when the path control module 10 receives a signal from an external device, the expansion device 1 will operate in passive mode, and the path control module 10 will be connected to the functional modules 40a, 40b through the switch 30 , 40c.

In the following description, the case where the expansion device 1 operates in the passive mode and the case where the expansion device 1 operates in the active mode will be described.

In the expansion device 1, the path control module 10 is used to receive a signal from an external device, such as a signal from an external device such as a notebook computer, tablet computer, etc. When the path control module 10 receives a signal from an external device, it means that the expansion device 1 is connected to an external device through its interface a. At this time, the expansion device 1 operates in a passive mode.

In the passive mode, the operation of the expansion device 1 is mainly for transferring data signals between external devices and peripheral devices. Therefore, when the expansion device 1 operates in the passive mode, the switch switch 30 will switch, so that the path control module 10 is connected to the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c through the switch switch 30. Therefore, the path control module 10 can transmit the signal of the external device to one of the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c to perform related functions through one of the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c, or through the One of the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c processes the signal of the external device, and transmits the data generated after the signal processing to a peripheral device.

For example, when the expansion device 1 is connected to a notebook computer (ie, an external device) through its interface a and operates in the passive mode, the path control module 10 can switch the video from the notebook computer through the switch 30 The signal is transferred to a display (ie, peripheral device) for playback. In addition, the path control module 10 can also transfer files from the notebook computer to a pen drive (ie, peripheral device) through the switch 30.

On the other hand, in the active mode, the operation of the expansion device 1 is mainly to independently generate data signals and transmit them to peripheral devices. Therefore, when the expansion device 1 operates in the active mode, the switch 30 will switch, so that the processing module 20 is connected to the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c through the switch 30. At this time, the processing module 20 can receive a control signal through an operation interface (not shown) and operate according to the control signal. Then, the processing module 20 transmits a data signal generated during operation to one of the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c, so as to perform the aforementioned data signal through one of the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c Process and transfer the data generated after signal processing to a peripheral device.

Please further refer to FIG. 2, which shows a block diagram of the processing module in the expansion device of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the processing module 20 of the expansion device 1 includes a microprocessor 210, a memory 220 and a communication module 230. The memory 220 is connected to the microprocessor 210, and the communication module 230 is connected to the microprocessor 210.

As described above, when the expansion device 1 operates in the active mode, the processing module 20 can receive a control signal through an operation interface and operate according to the control signal. In the processing module 20, according to the control signal, the microprocessor 210 can be connected to a network through the communication module 230 to obtain a data signal and send the data signal to the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c one. For example, the aforementioned operation interface is a plurality of mechanical buttons or a touch screen provided on the expansion device 1. The memory 220 may be a dynamic random access memory (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or serial flash memory. (SPI Flash), and the communication module 230 may be a WiFi communication module, a 3G communication module, or a 4G communication module, but the invention is not limited herein.

In order to increase the convenience of operating the expansion device 1 in the active mode, in one embodiment, the aforementioned operation interface includes a plurality of shortcut keys. In other words, the mechanical buttons or the button panel on the touch screen will be set as shortcut keys. It should be noted that each shortcut key is set to trigger a control signal corresponding to a specific function.

As an example, assume that the expansion device 1 is not connected to an external device and therefore operates in an active mode. The expansion device 1 is connected to a display, and a shortcut key on the operation interface is set to trigger a control signal of "connecting to a specific web page". In this case, if the aforementioned shortcut key is pressed, the microprocessor 210 will receive a control signal representing "connect to a specific webpage". Therefore, the microprocessor 210 will be connected to the network through the communication module 230 to obtain the data signal of the specific web page, and send the data signal to one of the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c, thereby enabling the display to The aforementioned specific web page is displayed. For example, the specific web page may be a specific browser page, a home page of a specific corporate website, a stock trading web page of a specific brokerage company, etc.

Furthermore, in the foregoing example, it is assumed that the expansion device 1 is connected to two displays (such as a first display and a second display), and another shortcut key on the operation interface is set to trigger the "multi-screen display" Control signal. In this case, if the first display has displayed the aforementioned specific webpage, and the control signal shortcut key used to trigger "multi-screen display" is pressed, the microprocessor 210 will receive a control representing "multi-screen display" Signal. Therefore, the microprocessor 210 sends a signal to one of the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c, so that the specific webpage is displayed on the first display and the second display at the same time.

In addition, in the foregoing example, it is assumed that the expansion device 1 is further connected to a flash drive. In this case, if the user connects to a specific webpage or e-mail through the expansion device 1 and clicks on a file link to download the file, the microprocessor 210 will transfer the downloaded file to the flash drive store. At this time, if the user needs to view the downloaded file or even edit the downloaded file, the user can view or edit the downloaded file when connected to a cloud editing software through the expansion device 1.

It is worth noting that when the expansion device 1 enters the active mode, the microprocessor 210 will be connected to the network through the communication module 230 to obtain a data signal of a default web page and send the data signal to the functional modules One of the groups 40a, 40b, 40c, in turn, enables a display connected to the expansion device 1 to actively display the preset webpage as soon as the expansion device 1 enters the active mode.

In the following description, the types of the functional modules 40a, 40b, and 40c in the expansion device 1 of the present invention and their connection relationships with the path control module 10, the processing module 20, and the switch switch 30 will be described.

In the present invention, one of the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c in the expansion device 1 may be a power supply module. The power supply module is connected to the path control module 10 to receive power provided by an external device to supply the path control module 10, the processing module 20, the switch switch 30 and other functional modules required for the operation electricity. Furthermore, one of the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c in the expansion device 1 may be a data storage and reading module. The data storage and reading module is connected to the path control module 10 and the processing module 20 through the switch 30 to store the data transmitted by the path control module 10 or the processing module 20 to a peripheral device, or to read Obtain information about peripheral devices. In addition, one of the functional modules 40a, 40b, 40c in the expansion device 1 may be a video signal conversion module. The video signal conversion module is connected to the path control module 10 and the processing module 20 through a switch 30 to convert a video signal sent by the path control module 10 or the processing module 20 to convert the video signal The video signal is output to a peripheral device for playback.

It should be noted that the general technical knowledge of the technical field of the invention should be able to understand the operating principles of the power supply module, data storage and reading module and video signal conversion module in the expansion device 1. Therefore, regarding the power supply module and data Details of the operation of the memory reading module and the video signal conversion module will not be described in detail here.

Finally, please refer to FIGS. 3A and 3B. FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in which the expansion device operates in a passive mode, and FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in which the expansion device operates in an active mode Schematic diagram below.

As can be seen in FIG. 3A, in the present invention, when the expansion device 1 is connected to an external device E (such as a notebook computer) through its interface a and therefore operates in a passive mode, the expansion device 1 can transfer video from the notebook computer The signal is transferred to a peripheral device P1 (such as a display) for playback. In addition, the expansion device can also transfer files from an external device E (such as a notebook computer) to a peripheral device P2 (such as a flash drive).

On the other hand, as can be seen in FIG. 3B, in the present invention, when the expansion device 1 is not connected to an external device and therefore operates in the passive mode, the expansion device 1 can operate according to the control signal from the operation interface. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the expansion device is connected to a peripheral device P1 (such as a display), and one of the shortcut keys S on the operation interface is set to trigger a "connect to a specific webpage" control signal. In this case, if the shortcut key S is pressed, the expansion device 1 will connect to the network according to the control signal sent by the shortcut key S to obtain the data signal of the aforementioned specific webpage and connect the data signal In turn, it is transferred to the aforementioned peripheral device P1, so that the peripheral device P1 can display the aforementioned specific webpage.

[Possible efficacy of the embodiment]

In general, compared to existing expansion devices, the advantage of the expansion device provided by the present invention is that the expansion device of the present invention can not only transfer data signals between mobile devices and peripheral devices, but also Independently generate data signals and transmit them to peripheral devices.

In other words, when the expansion device of the present invention is simultaneously connected to an external device and a peripheral device, the user can transfer the data signal of the external device to the peripheral device through the expansion device of the present invention. However, when the expansion device of the present invention is only connected to peripheral devices, the user can also perform various functions by operating the expansion device of the present invention, such as: browsing web pages, sending and receiving letters, displaying videos on multiple screens, etc.

Finally, it should be noted that, in the foregoing description, although the technical concept of the present invention has been specifically illustrated and described in a number of exemplary embodiments, those with ordinary knowledge in the field of this technology will understand that Various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the scope of the technical concept of the present invention defined by the scope of the following patent applications.

1‧‧‧Expansion device

10‧‧‧Path control module

20‧‧‧Processing module

30‧‧‧switch

40a, 40b, 40c‧‧‧functional module

a, b, c, d ‧‧‧ interface

Claims (10)

An expansion device operating in an active mode or a passive mode includes: a path control module for receiving a signal from an external device; a processing module connected to the path control module; and a switch switch, Connected between the path control module and the processing module; wherein, when the path control module does not receive the signal of the external device, the expansion device operates in the active mode, and the processing module passes through the The switch is connected to a plurality of functional modules, and when the path control module receives the signal from the external device, the expansion device operates in the passive mode, and the path control module is connected to the switch through the switch These functional modules. The expansion device according to claim 1, wherein in the active mode, the processing module receives a control signal through an operation interface, the processing module operates according to the control signal, and generates a data generated during operation The signal is sent to one of the functional modules to process the data signal through one of the functional modules, and the data generated after the signal processing is transmitted to a peripheral device. The expansion device according to claim 2, wherein the processing module includes: a microprocessor; a memory connected to the microprocessor; and a communication module connected to the microprocessor; wherein, the In the active mode, according to the control signal, the microprocessor is connected to a network through the communication module to obtain the data signal and send the data signal to one of the functional modules. The expansion device according to claim 3, wherein when the expansion device enters the active mode, the microprocessor is connected to the network through the communication module to obtain a data signal of a preset webpage. The expansion device according to claim 2, wherein the operation interface is a plurality of mechanical buttons or a touch screen. The expansion device according to claim 5, wherein the operation interface includes a plurality of shortcut keys, and each of the shortcut keys is used to trigger the control signal corresponding to a specific function. The expansion device according to claim 1, wherein in the passive mode, the path control module transmits the signal of the external device to one of the functional modules to perform related functions through one of the functional modules Or, the signal of the external device is processed through one of the functional modules, and the data generated after the signal processing is transmitted to a peripheral device. The expansion device according to claim 1, wherein the functional modules include: a power supply module connected to the path control module for receiving power provided by the external device to supply the path control module , The power required for the operation of the processing module, switch and other functional modules. The expansion device according to claim 1, wherein the functional modules include: a data storage and reading module connected to the path control module and the processing module through the switch to control the path The data transmitted by the module or the processing module is stored in a peripheral device, or the data of the peripheral device is read. The expansion device according to claim 1, wherein the functional modules include: a video signal conversion module, which is connected to the path control module and the processing module through the switch, and is used to control the path control module A video signal sent from the group or the processing module is converted to output the converted video signal to a peripheral device for playback.

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