TWI770454B - Kvm switch and data transmission method - Google Patents

Abstract

A data transmission method is used between a first computer, a second computer, an input interface device, a display device, and a KVM switch. The first computer, the second computer, the input interface device and the display device are coupled to the KVM switch. The data transmission method includes: when the KVM switch receives a first command from the input interface device, the KVM switch receives a screenshot from the first computer in response to the first command; the KVM switch recognizes the screenshot and generates text information correspondingly; and when the KVM switch receives a second command from the input interface device, the KVM switch transmits the text information to the second computer in response to the second command, and displays the text information on the display device.

Description

KVM Switch and Data Transfer Method

The present disclosure relates to a KVM switch and a data transmission method, and more particularly, to a KVM switch and a data transmission method that require no installation of software.

By connecting multiple computer hosts in the computer room through a KVM switch, users can switch and operate between multiple computer hosts with a set of keyboard, display device and mouse.

However, when the operation of copying and pasting part of the images in the current running screen is to be performed, generally, each computer host must transmit data through software and a KVM switch. If the host computer is not installed or cannot install the software, it cannot communicate with the KVM switch for copy and paste operations.

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a KVM switch. The KVM switch is suitable for the first computer, the second computer, the display device and the input interface device. KVM switch includes first computer port, second computer connection port, display device port, input interface device port, and processing unit. The first computer port is coupled to the first computer. The second computer port is coupled to the second computer. The display device port is coupled to the display device. The input interface device port is coupled to the input interface device. The processing unit is coupled to the first computer connection port, the second computer connection port, the display device port and the input interface device port. The input interface device port receives the first operation command from the input interface device, the first computer connection port receives the selection frame from the first computer in response to the first operation command, and the processing unit identifies the selection frame and generates text information correspondingly. The input interface device port receives the second operation command from the input interface device, and the processing unit transmits the text information to the second computer through the second computer connection port in response to the second operation command for the display device to display the text information.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a data transmission method used between a first computer, a second computer, an input interface device, a display device, and a KVM switch. The first computer, the second computer, the input interface device and the display device are coupled to the KVM switch. The data transmission method includes: when the KVM switch receives a first operation command from the input interface device, the KVM switch receives a selection screen from the first computer in response to the first operation command; the KVM switch recognizes the selection screen and generates text correspondingly information; and when the KVM switch receives the second operation command from the input interface device, the KVM switch transmits the text information to the second computer in response to the second operation command, and displays the text information on the display device.

To sum up, by using the KVM switch to cooperate with the instructions of copying, switching and pasting according to the data transmission method, users can copy and paste text without installing additional software.

100‧‧‧Multiple computer switches

110‧‧‧First computer port

120‧‧‧Second computer port

130‧‧‧Display port

140‧‧‧Input interface device ports

150‧‧‧processing units

160‧‧‧Memory

210‧‧‧First Computer

220‧‧‧Second Computer

230‧‧‧Display Devices

240‧‧‧Input Interface Devices

200‧‧‧Data transmission method

S210, S220, S230, S310, S320, S330, S340, S350, S360, S370, S380, S390‧‧‧Operation

CC‧‧‧Copy Instructions

CS‧‧‧Switch command

CV‧‧‧Attach instructions

DXY‧‧‧Select data

FR‧‧‧Marquee

IMG‧‧‧Select screen

KC‧‧‧Keyboard String Code

(X1,Y1), (X2,Y2)‧‧‧coordinates

DIS‧‧‧operation screen

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a KVM switch according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

2 and 3 are flowcharts illustrating a data transmission method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a KVM switch for performing a copy command according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a display device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a KVM switch performing a switching command according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a KVM switch for attaching a command according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The following examples are described in detail with the accompanying drawings, so as to better understand the aspect of the present case, but the provided examples are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, and the description of the structure and operation is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The order of its execution, and any recombination of components to produce devices with equal effects are all within the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, according to industry standards and common practices, the drawings are only for the purpose of auxiliary description and are not drawn according to the original size. In fact, the dimensions of various features can be arbitrarily increased or decreased for the convenience of description. In the following description, the same elements will be denoted by the same symbols to facilitate understanding.

Terms used throughout the specification and the scope of the patent application (terms), unless otherwise noted, generally have the ordinary meaning of each term used in the field, in the content disclosed herein, and in the specific content. Certain terms used to describe the present disclosure are discussed below or elsewhere in this specification to provide those skilled in the art with additional guidance in describing the present disclosure.

In addition, the terms "comprising", "including", "having", "containing" and the like used in this document are all open-ended terms, ie, meaning "including but not limited to". In addition, the term "and/or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

In this document, when an element is referred to as "connected" or "coupled", it may refer to "electrically connected" or "electrically coupled". "Connected" or "coupled" may also be used to indicate the cooperative operation or interaction between two or more elements.

In addition, although terms such as "first", "second", . . . are used herein to describe different elements, the terms are only used to distinguish elements or operations described by the same technical terms. Unless clearly indicated by the context, the terms do not specifically refer to or imply a sequence or sequence and are not intended to limit the invention.

Please refer to Figure 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a KVM switch 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1 , the KVM switch 100 is applicable to the first computer 210 , the second computer 220 , the display device 230 and the input interface device 240 . The KVM switch 100 includes a first computer port 110 , a second computer port 120 , a display device port 130 , an input interface device port 140 , a processing unit 150 and a memory 160 .

Structurally, the processing unit 150 in the KVM switch 100 is coupled to the first computer port 110 , the second computer port 120 , the display device port 130 , the input interface device port 140 and the memory 160 . KVM Switch 100 via the A computer port 110 is coupled to the first computer 210 . The KVM switch 100 is coupled to the second computer 220 via the second computer port 120 . The KVM switch 100 is coupled to the display device 230 via the display device port 130 . The KVM switch 100 is coupled to the input interface device 240 via the input interface device port 140 .

Specifically, the first computer 210 and the second computer 220 can be connected to the KVM switch 100 through a VGA terminal (Video Graphics Array connector) and/or a Universal Serial Bus (USB). The display device 230 can be connected to the KVM switch 100 through a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). The input interface device port 140 can be an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc., and is connected to the KVM switch 100 through a serial port and/or a general-purpose serial bus. The above-mentioned connection interface is only an example, and other interfaces compatible with commonly used computers, display devices and input interface devices in the market can also be used, and the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned interfaces.

In some embodiments, the processing unit 150 can be composed of various processing circuits, micro controllers, central processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits It can be implemented in various ways, such as application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), complex programmable logic device (CPLD), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or logic circuit.

In some embodiments, memory 160 may include one or more memory devices, each memory device or a collection of memory devices including a computer The recording medium can be read. The memory 160 can be composed of read only memory (ROM), flash memory, floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, flash disk, pen drive, magnetic tape, database readable from the network, or any It is realized by a recording medium having the same function that those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can conceive.

For the convenience of description, the specific operation of each element in the KVM switch 100 will be described with the drawings in the following paragraphs, but it is not limited to this. , when you can make various changes and retouches. Please refer to Figures 2 and 3. 2 and 3 are flowcharts illustrating a data transmission method 200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The data transmission method 200 is used between the first computer 210 , the second computer 220 , the display device 230 , the input interface device 240 and the KVM switch 100 . The data transmission method 200 includes the following two parts: operations S210-S230 of displaying according to the switching instruction, and operations S310-S390 of copying and pasting according to the copying instruction and the pasting instruction respectively.

The first part is shown in FIG. 2. The data transmission method 200 includes operations S210, S220 and S230. First, in operation S210 , the KVM switch 100 transmits the running screen of the computer currently being controlled to the display device 230 for display. Specifically, the processing unit 150 in the KVM switch 100 receives the running picture of the corresponding computer from the currently connected computer port, and transmits the running picture to the display device 230 via the display device port 130 for display. For example, when the KVM switch 100 is currently connected to the first computer 210 , the processing unit 150 of the KVM switch 100 receives the running screen of the first computer 210 through the first computer port 110 . The processing unit 150 then passes through the display device The port 130 transmits the running image of the first computer 210 to the display device 230 for display.

Next, in operation S220, when the KVM switch 100 does not receive a switching instruction from the input interface device 240, operation S210 is continued, and the KVM switch 100 transmits the running image of the first computer 210 to the display device 230 for display . On the other hand, when the KVM switch 100 receives a switching command from the input interface device 240, operation S230 is performed, and the KVM switch 100 switches the computer currently controlled in response to the switching command. Specifically, when the user inputs a switching command through the input interface device 240, the processing unit 150 in the KVM switch 100 receives the switching command from the input interface device port 140, and switches the currently controlled computer to another computer according to the switching command a computer.

For example, if the KVM switch 100 is currently connected to the first computer 210, when the user sends a switch command by pressing a keyboard button or clicking a mouse, the KVM switch 100 will switch the currently controlled computer according to the switch instruction. for the second computer 220 . Next, when the operation S210 is continued, the KVM switch 100 transmits the running screen of the second computer 220 to the display device 230 for display.

In this way, when the KVM switch 100 is connected to multiple computer hosts, the user can switch and operate among the multiple computer hosts by issuing a switching command through the input interface device 240 . It is worth noting that although only two computers are shown in this case, the number of computers is only an example for the convenience of illustration, and is not intended to limit this case. Those with ordinary knowledge in the art can configure the number of computers and design corresponding switching instructions according to actual needs.

The second part is shown in FIG. 3, the data transmission method 200 includes operations S310, S320, S330, S340, S350, S360, S370, and S380 and the S390. First, in operation S310, the KVM switch 100 is in a normal mode. Specifically, when the KVM switch 100 is in the normal mode, corresponding display will be performed according to the switching instruction (such as the above-mentioned operations S210 to S230 ), but it is not limited to this, and may also include performing corresponding operations according to other instructions.

Next, in operation S320, when the KVM switch 100 does not receive a copy instruction from the input interface device 240, the operation continues to operate S310. When the KVM switch 100 receives the copy instruction from the input interface device 240, operation S330 is performed, and the KVM switch 100 enters the copy mode. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, when the user inputs the copy command CC through the input interface device 240, the processing unit 150 in the KVM switch 100 receives the copy command CC through the input interface device port 140, and according to the copy command CC puts the KVM switch 100 into clone mode. For example, when the KVM switch 100 enters the copy mode, the display device 230 keeps displaying the last running screen before entering the copy mode. That is to say, after entering the copy mode, you cannot switch computers or operate the contents of the currently displayed window.

Next, in operation S340 , when the KVM switch 100 receives the selection data from the input interface device 240 , operation S350 is performed, and the KVM switch 100 generates a marquee in response to the selected data, and displays the marquee via the display device 230 . Moreover, the KVM switch 100 will receive the image data in the marquee frame from the currently controlled computer as the selection frame. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 , the KVM switch 100 will be in the copy mode until the processing unit 150 receives the selected data DXY through the input interface device port 140 , and the KVM switch 100 returns to the normal mode. The selected data DXY may be a set of coordinate data. The KVM switch 100 generates a marquee FR according to the selected data DXY and outputs it to the display. The display device 230 performs display, and receives the image image data in the marquee frame FR from the currently controlled first computer 210 according to the selection data DXY as the selection frame IMG. In some embodiments, the KVM switch 100 may be implemented by a functional circuit similar to that of a video capture card.

For example, the user can click, drag and release the mouse to generate a start coordinate and an end coordinate, and the KVM switch 100 will receive the start and end coordinates as selection data. In some embodiments, when the user manipulates the mouse, the KVM switch 100 generates and displays a marquee via the display device 230 according to the initial coordinates of the mouse click and the current coordinates of the mouse dragging. In some other embodiments, after the user controls the mouse to click, drag, and release, the KVM switch 100 clicks the mouse's starting coordinates (such as coordinates (X1, Y1) in FIG. 5 ) and After releasing the mouse, the coordinates of the end point (eg, the coordinates (X2, Y2) in Fig. 5) are generated and a marquee (eg, the marquee FR in Fig. 5) is displayed through the display device 230. As shown in FIG. 5 , the processing unit 150 uses the image image data in the marquee frame FR (ie, between the coordinates (X1, Y1) and (X2, Y2)) as the selection frame IMG.

Next, in operation S360, the KVM switch 100 identifies the selected image IMG and generates text information correspondingly. Specifically, the processing unit 150 performs image recognition on the selection screen IMG to recognize the text contained in the selection screen IMG. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 150 should recognize the following text for the selection frame IMG in the marquee FR: "Nov 28 09:23:46 geja-ubuntu16 anacron[597]: Job'cron.weekly'terminated Nov 28 09:23:46 geja-ubuntu16 anacron[597]: Normal exit (2 jobs run)".

Next, in operation S370 , the KVM switch 100 generates a keyboard string code (keycode, ascii code) KC according to the text information and stores it in the memory 160 . For example, the KVM switch 100 generates and stores the keyboard string code "78 79 86 32 98 104" according to "Nov 28" in the text information. In other embodiments, when the text included in the selection screen IMG does not have a directly corresponding keyboard string code, the KVM switch 100 generates a percentage code according to the text information, and then generates a keyboard string code KC according to the percentage code. For example, if the selected screen IMG contains the Chinese character "Hello", the KVM switch 100 generates a percentage code "%E4%BD%A0%E5%A5%BD" according to the text information "Hello", and then generates a percentage code "%E4%BD%A0%E5%A5%BD" according to the percentage code. Stores the corresponding keyboard string code.

In this way, without installing the software, the user can issue a copy command to the KVM switch 100 through the input interface device 240, and then the KVM switch 100 can be controlled to obtain the screen image to be copied from the computer currently being controlled. . By performing image recognition on the selected screen through the KVM switch 100, the text in the selected screen image can be converted into a keyboard string code KC for storage. In addition, when the text in the image is not in English, the text can also be converted into a percentage encoding obtained by typing on the keyboard, so that the text can be easily parsed without installing additional software.

Next, in operation S380, when the KVM switch 100 receives the paste instruction from the input interface device 240, operation S390 is performed, and the KVM switch 100 transmits the text information to the computer currently controlled, and displays it on the display device 230 displays textual information. Specifically, when the KVM switch 100 does not receive a switching instruction between operations S380 and S370, the above-mentioned process will not be performed. In operation S230, the KVM switch 100 will be copied and pasted on the same computer. On the other hand, when the KVM switch 100 receives a switching instruction between operations S380 and S370, the above operation S230 will be performed, and the KVM switch 100 can copy and paste on different computers respectively.

For example, after the KVM switch 100 has obtained the text data from the first computer 210 and stored it in the memory 160, as shown in FIG. 6, if the KVM switch 100 receives the switching command CS from the input interface device 240 , the KVM switch 100 switches the currently controlled first computer 210 to the second computer 220 . That is, the KVM switch 100 transmits the running screen DIS of the second computer 220 to the display device 230 for display.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7 , when the processing unit 150 of the KVM switch 100 receives the paste command CV from the input interface device 240 through the input interface device port 140 , the processing unit 150 will extract the keyboard words from the memory 160 The serial code KC is transmitted to the currently controlled second computer 220 through the second computer connection port 120 . When the second computer 220 receives the keyboard string code KC, it will display the text represented by the keyboard string code KC through the display device 230 . For example, when the second computer 220 receives the keyboard string code KC as "74 79 66", it will display the text "job" through the display device 230 .

In this way, without installing software, the user can control the KVM switch 100 to store the keyboard string in the memory 160 by issuing a paste instruction to the KVM switch 100 through the input interface device 240 . The code KC is transmitted to the computer currently under control, so that the computer thinks that the connected keyboard has input these keys, and then converts back to corresponding English or numbers and displays them on the display device 230 .

It is worth noting that, after operation S390, if the KVM switch 100 receives the paste instruction again (ie, the conditions of operation S380 are satisfied), since the keyboard string code KC is stored in the memory 160, the KC switch can The device 100 may also perform operation S390 again. However, if the KVM switch 100 receives the copy instruction and selects the data again before receiving the paste instruction (ie, the conditions of operations S320 and S340 are satisfied), the KVM switch 100 will generate a new keyboard string code KC and overwrite the keyboard string code KC of the previous stroke.

From another point of view, operations S220, S320 and 380 in the data transmission method 200 are independent triggering conditions. The schema and the above description are only examples for convenience of description, and are not limited thereto. Knowledgeable people can make design adjustments according to actual needs. In addition, in some other embodiments, the data transmission method 200 may also include a cancel command, so that the KVM switch 100 can jump out of the copy state without generating new selected data, so as to avoid overwriting caused by mistakenly entering the copy mode Go to the text string corresponding to the last selected data.

Although the disclosed methods are shown and described herein as a series of steps or events, it should be understood that the order in which the steps or events are shown should not be construed in a limiting sense. For example, some of the steps may occur in a different order and/or concurrently with other steps or events other than those shown and/or described herein. Additionally, not all steps shown herein are required to implement one or more aspects or embodiments described herein. Furthermore, one or more of the steps herein may also be performed in one or more separate steps and/or stages.

It should be noted that, to the extent that there is no conflict, within this disclosure It is contemplated that the features and circuits in the various drawings, embodiments and embodiments may be combined with each other. The circuits shown in the figures are only used as examples, and are simplified to make the description concise and easy to understand, and are not intended to limit the present application. In addition, each device, unit and element in the above-mentioned embodiments can be implemented by various types of digital or analog circuits, and can also be implemented by different integrated circuit chips, or integrated into a single chip. The above are only examples, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

To sum up, by applying the above-mentioned embodiments, the KVM switch 100 cooperates with the instructions of copying, switching and pasting according to the data transmission method 200, so that the user does not need to install additional software. Copy and paste the text. Since there is no need to install additional software, it is directly applicable to computers with different operating systems. In use, the computer side can only connect the keyboard, mouse and display device, and will not see additional hardware for supporting software. In addition, since the KVM switch 100 performs copy and paste according to the data transmission method 200 in this case, it has nothing to do with the operating system, and can be copied before the host has not been fully started. In other words, in this case, the text appearing on the boot screen can be copied and pasted to other hosts for further analysis, which is convenient for error elimination.

Although the present disclosure has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The scope of protection of the disclosed contents shall be determined by the scope of the appended patent application.

200‧‧‧Data transmission method

S310~S390‧‧‧Operation

Claims (8)

A multi-computer switch is suitable for a first computer, a second computer, a display device and an input interface device. The multi-computer switch comprises: a first computer connection port, which is coupled to the first computer; a first computer Two computer ports are coupled to the second computer; a display device port is coupled to the display device; an input interface device port is coupled to the input interface device; and a processing unit is coupled to the first computer port, the second computer connection port, the display device port and the input interface device port; wherein the input interface device port receives a first operation command from the input interface device, and the first computer connection port responds to the first operation command A selection screen is received from the first computer, the processing unit identifies the selection screen and generates a text message correspondingly to generate a keyboard string code according to the text message, and the input interface device port receives a second operation command from the input interface device And the processing unit transmits the keyboard string code to the second computer through the second computer connection port in response to the second operation command for the display device to display the text information, wherein when the text information is not in English, the The processing unit generates a percentage code according to the text information, and then generates the keyboard string code according to the percentage code. The multi-computer switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the input interface device port receives the first operation command from the input interface device, the processing unit passes a first operation screen of the first computer through the display device After the input interface device port receives the first operation command from the input interface device, the input interface device port receives a third operation command from the input interface device, and the processing unit responds to the The third operation command transmits a second running picture of the second computer to the display device for display through the display device port. The KVM switch of claim 1, wherein after the input interface device port receives the first operation command from the input interface device, the processing unit receives a selection data from the input interface device through the input interface device port, The processing unit generates a selection frame in response to the selection data and displays a selection frame through the display device, and the first computer port receives an image data in the selection frame from the first computer as the selection frame in response to the selection frame. The multi-computer switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit transmits the percentage code to the second computer via the second computer connection port in response to the second operation command for display by the display device. A data transmission method is used between a first computer, a second computer, an input interface device, a display device and a multi-computer switch, the first computer, the second computer, the input interface device and the The display device is coupled to the KVM switch, and the data transmission method includes: when the KVM switch receives a first operation command from the input interface device, the KVM switch is sent from the second KVM switch according to the first operation command. A computer receives a selection screen; the KVM switch recognizes the selection screen and generates a corresponding text message to generate a keyboard string code according to the text information; and when the KVM switch receives a second operation command from the input interface device, the KVM switch generates the keyboard string code in response to the second operation command transmitting the text information to the second computer, and displaying the text information on the display device, wherein when the text information is not in English, the KVM switch generates a percentage code according to the text information, and then generates the keyboard string according to the percentage code code. The data transmission method according to claim 5, further comprising: when the KVM switch receives the first operation command from the input interface device, the KVM switch transmits a first running screen of the first computer to the display device for display; and when the KVM switch receives a third operation command from the input interface device, the KVM switch transmits a second running image of the second computer to the third computer in response to the third operation command The display device displays. The data transmission method according to claim 5, further comprising: after the KVM switch receives the first operation command from the input interface device, the KVM switch receives a selection data from the input interface device; The KVM switch generates a selection frame in response to the selected data and displays a selection frame through the display device; and the KVM switch receives a frame image data in the selection frame from the first computer as the selection frame. The data transmission method according to claim 5, further comprising: the KVM switch transmits the percentage code to the second computer in response to the second operation command for display by the display device.

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