TW202326455A - Device control method and host device - Google Patents

Abstract

A device control method and a host device are disclosed. The method includes: receiving power from a display device through a connection interface of the host device; in a state that an operation mode of the host device is a first mode, transmitting display signal to the display device through the connection interface; in response to that the operation mode of the host device changes from the first mode to a second mode, cutting off a display signal transmission path between the host device and the display device; after the display signal transmission path is cut off, detecting whether the operation mode of the host device is changed back from the second mode to the first mode; and in response to that the operation mode of the host device is changed back from the second mode to the first mode, resetting the power on the connection interface to recovery the display signal transmission path.

Description

Device control method and host device

The present invention relates to a device control technology, and in particular to a device control method and a host device.

Under the Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C connection interface standard, some types of displays can provide power to the host device (such as a notebook computer) through the USB Type-C connection interface, and the host The device can send a display signal to the monitor through this connection interface. In this way, when the display receives external power, the display can continuously supply power to the host device, and the host device can present images through the display.

However, in the state where the connecting cable between the host device and the display is not removed, after the host device enters sleep mode, hibernate mode or is turned off, even if the host device is woken up, the transmission of display signals between the host device and the display Functionality still cannot be restored automatically. At this time, if the user wants to continue to project the display signal of the host device to the display for display, the user often has to manually re-plug the connecting cable between the host device and the display to restore the transmission of the display signal.

The invention provides a device control method and a host device, which can improve the above problems.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a device control method for a host device, the host device is coupled to a display device through a connection interface, the device control method includes: receiving power from the display device through the connection interface; When the operation mode of the host device is the first mode, transmitting a display signal to the display device through the connection interface; in response to switching the operation mode of the host device from the first mode to In the second mode, the display signal transmission path between the host device and the display device is cut off, wherein the display signal transmission path is used to transmit the display signal to the display device; After a signal transmission path, detecting whether the operation mode of the host device is switched back to the first mode from the second mode; and switching from the second mode in response to the operation mode of the host device Back to the first mode, reset the power supply on the connection interface, so as to restore the display signal transmission path.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a host device, which includes a connection interface, a system module, and a reset controller. The connection interface is used for coupling to a display device. The system module is coupled to the connection interface. The reset controller is coupled to the connection interface and the system module. The system module is used to: receive power from the display device through the connection interface; when the operation mode of the host device is the first mode, transmit a display signal to the display through the connection interface device; and in response to switching the operation mode of the host device from the first mode to the second mode, cutting off a display signal transmission path between the host device and the display device, wherein the display signal The transmission path is used for transmitting the display signal to the display device. The reset controller is used to: detect whether the operation mode of the host device is switched back to the first mode from the second mode after cutting off the display signal transmission path; and respond to the The operation mode of the host device is switched back to the first mode from the second mode, and the power supply on the connection interface is reset to restore the display signal transmission path.

Based on the above, after the operation mode of the host device is switched from the first mode to the first mode and the display signal transmission path between the host device and the display device is cut off, it can continuously detect whether the operation mode of the host device is switched back to the second mode from the second mode. a mode. Once the operation mode of the host device is switched from the second mode back to the first mode, the power on the connection interface can be reset to restore the display signal transmission path. Thereby, after the operation mode of the host device is changed, the user does not need to manually re-plug the connecting cable between the host device and the display, and the cut-off display signal transmission path between the host device and the display device can be automatically restored , so as to effectively improve the user experience.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a host device and a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to Figure 1, please refer to Figure 1, the host device 11 may include various electronic devices with data processing and communication functions such as smart phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, desktop computers, industrial computers, game consoles or servers. device. The display device 12 may include a plasma (plasma) display, a liquid crystal display (liquid crystal display, LCD), a thin film transistor (Thin Film Transistor, TFT) liquid crystal display, a light emitting diode (light emitting diode, LED) display or an organic light-emitting display. Diode (Organic LED, OLED) displays and other types of displays.

The host device 11 can include a connection interface 110 , a system module 120 and a reset controller 130 . The host device 11 can be physically coupled to the display device 12 through the connection interface 110 . For example, two ends of a physical transmission line 13 can be electrically connected to the connection interface 110 and the display device 12 respectively. In one embodiment, both the connection interface 110 and the physical transmission line 13 comply with the Type-C connection interface standard of Universal Serial Bus (USB). In one embodiment, the connection interface 110 and the physical transmission line 13 may also comply with other types of connection interface standards, which are not limited in the present invention. It should be noted that, in the following embodiments, it is assumed that the physical transmission line 13 is continuously connected between the connection interface 110 and the display device 12 and is not manually removed (for example, unplugged) by the user.

The system module 120 is coupled to the connection interface 110 and is responsible for the whole or part of the operation of the host device 11 . For example, the system module 120 may include a processor, a storage circuit, and an input/output (I/O) interface. The processor in the system module 120 may include a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), a graphics processing unit (graphics processing unit, GPU), or other programmable general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessors, digital Signal processor (Digital Signal Processor, DSP), programmable controller, application specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuits, ASIC), programmable logic device (Programmable Logic Device, PLD) or other similar devices or these devices The combination.

The storage circuits in the system module 120 may include volatile storage circuits and non-volatile storage circuits. The volatile storage circuit is used for volatile storage of data. For example, the volatile storage circuit may include random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM) or similar volatile storage media. The non-volatile storage circuit is used for non-volatile storage of data. For example, the non-volatile storage circuit may include a read only memory (Read Only Memory, ROM), a solid state disk (solid state disk, SSD), a traditional hard disk (Hard disk drive, HDD) or similar non-volatile storage media . In addition, the input/output interfaces in the system module 120 may include power management interfaces, communication circuits (such as network interface cards), mouse, keyboard, screen, touch screen, speakers and/or microphones, etc. /output device.

The reset controller 130 is coupled to the connection interface 110 and the system module 120 . The reset controller 130 may include an embedded controller, a programmable controller, a programmable logic device (PLD) or other similar devices or a combination of these devices.

In an embodiment, the operation mode of the host device 11 may include a first mode and a second mode. The operation mode of the host device 11 is switchable between the first mode and the second mode. In particular, the power consumption per unit time of the host device 11 in the second mode is lower than the power consumption per unit time of the host device 11 in the first mode.

In one embodiment, the first mode may include the normal working mode of the host device 11 , and the second mode may include the sleep mode, the hibernation mode and the shutdown state of the host device 11 . Or, in one embodiment, when the system module 120 is in the power state S0 defined by the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), it can be considered that the current operation mode of the host device 11 is the first mode, and when the system module 120 is in the power state S3, S4 or S5 defined by the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), it can be considered that the current operating mode of the host device 11 is the second mode.

In one embodiment, the system module 120 can receive the power PW from the display device 12 through the connection interface 110 . For example, the power PW can be transmitted from the display device 12 to the connection interface 110 through the physical transmission line 13 to charge the host device 11 . For example, the power PW can be transmitted via a VBus pin in the physical transmission line 13 . After receiving the power PW, the power PW can be transmitted to the system module 120 via the transmission path (also referred to as a power transmission path) 101 for use by the system module 120 . In other words, the transmission path 101 can be used to receive the power PW from the display device 12 . It should be noted that no matter the current operation mode of the host device 11 is the first mode or the second mode, the system module 120 can continue to receive the power PW from the display device 12 through the connection interface 110 and the physical transmission line 13 .

In one embodiment, when the operation mode of the host device 11 is the first mode, the system module 120 can transmit the display signal DS to the display device 12 through the connection interface 110 . For example, the display signal DS can be transmitted to the connection interface 110 through the transmission path (also referred to as the display signal transmission path) 102 , and then transmitted to the display device 12 through the physical transmission line 13 . In other words, the transmission path 102 can be used to transmit the display signal DS to the display device 12 . Then, the display device 12 can display images (and output audio) according to the display signal DS. For example, the display signal DS can be used to carry the image data of the image to be displayed. In particular, the power PW and the display signal DS can be transmitted through the same physical transmission line 13 connected between the host device 11 and the display device 12 .

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a host device and a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, in response to the host device 11 operating mode switching from the first mode to the second mode (for example, the host device 11 enters sleep mode, hibernate mode or is turned off), the system module 120 can cut off the host device 11 and the display. Transmission path 102 between devices 12 . In the state where the transmission path 102 is cut off, the system module 120 cannot transmit the display signal DS to the display device 12 no matter whether the current operation mode of the host device 11 is the first mode or the second mode. In addition, when the transmission path 102 is cut off, as long as the physical transmission line 13 is not removed, the system module 120 can continue to receive the power PW from the display device 12 through the connection interface 110 .

In one embodiment, after the transmission path 102 is cut off, if the operation mode of the host device 11 is switched from the second mode back to the first mode (for example, the host device 11 is woken up or turned on), the user must replug the The physical transmission line 13 is used to trigger the system module 120 to restore the transmission path 102 . The display signal DS can be transmitted to the display device 12 through the transmission path 102 only after the transmission path 102 is recovered. However, after the transmission path 102 is cut off, the host device 11 or the system module 120 cannot actively restore the transmission path 102 on the premise that the user does not plug and unplug the physical transmission line 13 again. Therefore, in the condition that the physical transmission line 13 is not easy to plug and unplug, once the transmission path 102 is cut off, it is not easy for the subsequent host device 11 to resume the transmission of the display signal DS after returning to the first mode (as shown in FIG. 1 ).

In one embodiment, after the transmission path 102 is cut off, the reset controller 130 can detect whether the operation mode of the host device 11 is switched back to the first mode from the second mode (for example, detect whether the host device 11 is woken up or turned on. ). In response to switching the operation mode of the host device 11 from the second mode back to the first mode, the reset controller 130 can reset the power PW on the connection interface 110 to restore the transmission path 102 .

In one embodiment, during the process of resetting the power PW on the connection interface 110 , the reset controller 130 may first cut off the transmission path 101 . After the transmission path 101 is cut off, the reset controller 130 can restore the transmission path 101 . By cutting off and restoring the transmission path 101 (that is, resetting the power PW), the reset controller 130 can temporarily cut off the power PW, thereby achieving an effect similar to that of the user replugging the physical transmission line 13 .

In one embodiment, in response to the reset of the power supply PW, the system module 120 may re-execute the handshake procedure with the display device 12 via the connection interface 110 to restore the transmission path 102 . For example, the system module 120 can communicate with the display device 12 via a CC pin in the physical connection line 13 to execute a handshake procedure. For example, in the handshaking procedure, the system module 120 can restore the transmission path 102 and establish a connection with the display device 12 through the connection interface 110 for transmitting the display signal DS. Afterwards, the display signal DS can be sent to the display device 12 through this connection, as shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a host device according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to FIG. 3 , in one embodiment, the system module 120 may include a power management interface 310 . The power management interface 310 can be used to manage the power state of the host device 11 or the system module 120 . For example, the power management interface 310 may include Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI).

On the other hand, the connection interface 110 may include a switch circuit 320 . The switch circuit 320 can be used to control the disconnection and recovery of the transmission path 101 . For example, the switch circuit 320 may include at least one switch element. For example, the switching element may include a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) or a similar electronic element with a switching function. The reset controller 130 can be coupled to the power management interface 310 and the switch circuit 320 .

In one embodiment, the reset controller 130 can detect the voltage level of the power management interface 31 through a default pin of the power management interface 310 . The reset controller 130 can determine whether the operation mode of the host device 11 is switched from the second mode to the first mode according to the change of the voltage level. For example, suppose that when the operation mode of the host device 11 is the first mode, the voltage level on the preset pin is logic low, and when the operation mode of the host device 11 is the second mode, the preset pin The voltage level on the pin is logic high. In response to the voltage level changing from logic high to logic low, the reset controller 130 can determine that the operation mode of the host device 11 is switched from the second mode back to the first mode at this time.

In one embodiment, the reset controller 130 can control the switch circuit in response to the change of the voltage level from logic high to logic low (that is, the operation mode of the host device 11 is switched from the second mode to the first mode). 320 cuts off the transmission path 101 and restores the transmission path 101 to reset the power PW on the connection interface 110 . It should be noted that, in another embodiment, the change of the voltage level reflecting whether the operation mode of the host device 11 is switched from the second mode to the first mode can also be adjusted according to practical needs, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a device control method according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to FIG. 4 , in step S401 , power is received from the display device through the connection interface. In step S402, when the operation mode of the host device is the first mode, a display signal is sent to the display device through the connection interface. In step S403, in response to switching the operation mode of the host device from the first mode to the second mode, the display signal transmission path between the host device and the display device is cut off. The display signal transmission path is used to transmit the display signal to the display device. After the display signal transmission path is cut off, in step S404, it is detected whether the operation mode of the host device is switched from the second mode to the first mode. In response to switching the operation mode of the host device from the second mode back to the first mode, in step S405, reset the power on the connection interface to restore the display signal transmission path. Or, if the operation mode of the host device is not switched from the second mode back to the first mode, then step S404 can be repeated.

However, each step in FIG. 4 has been described in detail above, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that each step in FIG. 4 can be implemented as a plurality of program codes or circuits, which is not limited by the present invention. In addition, the method in FIG. 4 may be used in conjunction with the above embodiment, or may be used alone, which is not limited in the present invention.

To sum up, the device control method and the host device provided by the embodiments of the present invention can simulate the replugging of the physical connection line between the host device and the display device during the period when the display device continues to charge the host device (ie reset the power on the connection interface), so that the display signal transmission path between the host device and the display device is automatically restored. Thereby, user experience can be effectively improved.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field may make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the scope of the appended patent application.

11: Host device 110: Connection interface 120: System module 130:Reset Controller 101: Power transmission path 102: Display signal transmission path 12: Display device 13: Physical transmission line 310: Power management interface 320: switch circuit S401~S405: steps

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a host device and a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a host device and a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a host device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a device control method according to an embodiment of the invention.

S401~S405: steps

Claims (10)

A device control method for a host device, the host device is coupled to a display device via a connection interface, the device control method includes: receiving power from the display device via the connection interface; When the operation mode of the host device is the first mode, transmit a display signal to the display device through the connection interface; In response to switching the operation mode of the host device from the first mode to the second mode, cutting off a display signal transmission path between the host device and the display device, wherein the display signal transmission path is used to transmit the display signal to the display device; after cutting off the display signal transmission path, detecting whether the operation mode of the host device is switched back to the first mode from the second mode; and Responding to switching the operation mode of the host device back to the first mode from the second mode, resetting the power on the connection interface to restore the display signal transmission path, Wherein the power consumption per unit time of the host device in the second mode is lower than the power consumption per unit time of the host device in the first mode. The device control method as described in claim 1, further comprising: In the state that the display signal transmission path is cut off, the power supply is continuously received from the display device through the connection interface. The device control method as described in claim 1, wherein the step of detecting whether the operation mode of the host device switches back to the first mode from the second mode comprises: detecting the voltage level of the power management interface of the host device; and Whether the operation mode of the host device is switched back to the first mode from the second mode is determined according to the change of the voltage level. The device control method as described in claim 1, wherein the step of resetting the power on the connection interface comprises: cutting off the power transmission path between the host device and the display device; and After the power transmission path is cut off, the power transmission path is restored. The device control method as described in claim 1, further comprising: In response to the reset of the power supply, re-execute the handshake procedure with the display device via the connection interface, so as to restore the display signal transmission path. A host device comprising: a connection interface for coupling to the display device; a system module coupled to the connection interface; and a reset controller coupled to the connection interface and the system module, Among them, the system module is used for: receiving power from the display device via the connection interface; When the operation mode of the host device is the first mode, transmit a display signal to the display device through the connection interface; and In response to switching the operation mode of the host device from the first mode to the second mode, cutting off a display signal transmission path between the host device and the display device, the display signal transmission path is used to transmit the display signal to the display device, Wherein the reset controller is used to: after cutting off the display signal transmission path, detecting whether the operation mode of the host device is switched back to the first mode from the second mode; and Responding to switching the operation mode of the host device back to the first mode from the second mode, resetting the power on the connection interface to restore the display signal transmission path, Wherein the power consumption per unit time of the host device in the second mode is lower than the power consumption per unit time of the host device in the first mode. The host device according to claim 6, wherein the system module continues to receive the power from the display device through the connection interface when the display signal transmission path is cut off. The host device as described in claim 6, wherein the system module includes a power management interface, and the operation of the reset controller detecting whether the operation mode of the host device is switched back to the first mode from the second mode includes : detecting the voltage level of the power management interface; and Whether the operation mode of the host device is switched back to the first mode from the second mode is determined according to the change of the voltage level. The host device as claimed in item 6, wherein the operation of the reset controller to reset the power on the connection interface comprises: cutting off the power transmission path between the host device and the display device; and After the power transmission path is cut off, the power transmission path is restored. The host device as described in claim 6, wherein the system module is further used for: In response to the reset of the power supply, re-execute the handshake procedure with the display device via the connection interface, so as to restore the display signal transmission path.

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