Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Intrasystem connection – Bus access regulation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-18
2001-04-10
Ray, Gopal C. (Department: 2181)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Intrasystem connection
Bus access regulation
C710S108000, C710S063000, C709S241000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216188
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to device control methods and device control apparatuses for connecting a device conforming to the universal serial bus (USB) standard to a computer, and more particularly, to a device control method and a device control apparatus which simplify a procedure required for connection to the device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A new standard for personal computers, called a universal serial bus (USB), has been recently formed and units conforming to this standard have been made commercially available. In this new standard, each of various types of peripheral units (hereinafter called devices), such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a game controller, has a connector with the same shape, and is connected to a USB port of a computer by the use of this connector.
The USB port has four pins in its inside and the pins are used for D+ and D− data lines, a power line, and the ground. Either the D+ pin or the D− pin is used to indicate that the device is connected or not connected. Whichever pin is used is pulled up (switched on) to indicate that a device is being connected, or the pin is pulled down (switched off) to indicate that a device is not connected.
Usually, one computer is provided with two USB ports of the same type. If three or more devices conforming to the USB standard are to be connected, then one or more ports may be lacking.
To handle such a case, a unit called a USB hub
9
shown in
FIG. 3
has been developed, which is provided with a plurality of ports
2
b
having the same shape as a USB port
2
a
formed in a personal computer. When the USB hub
9
is connected to the USB port
2
a
of the personal computer, a plurality of devices can be connected to the USB port
2
a
of the personal computer.
The USB hub
9
shown in
FIG. 3
is connected to the personal computer (PC)
2
by the use of a USB interface cable
6
. A device
1
, a device
2
, and a device X are connected to USB ports
2
b
formed in the USB hub
9
with USB interface cables
7
.
However, device connection with the use of a usual USB port or device connection with the use of the USB hub
9
, described above, has the following inconveniences.
When a new device (device X in this case) is added to the PC
2
after devices (device
1
and device
2
in this case) have already been connected, the PC
2
does not identify the new device X and a driver for the device X does not run unless a USB connector formed at a end of the interface cable
6
is disconnected from the USB port
2
a
of the PC
2
then and connected again. When a connected device is removed, a device driver for the device cannot be deleted without disconnecting the USB connector and connecting it again in the same way as above.
If a USB port is formed at the back of a personal computer, it is very troublesome to disconnect a USB connector and connect it again at the back of the personal computer.
As described above, when a device is added or is removed, the D+ pin (or the D− pin) of the USB port, which has been pulled up, is pulled down and then pulled up again to send the information of each device being connected at the time before the pin is pulled down, to the personal computer through data lines
6
a
and
6
b.
In this way, the personal computer can reidentify device connections.
Without disconnecting the USB connector and connecting it again, device connections can be identified again by resetting the personal computer. In this case, it takes a long time to make the personal computer ready and the operation therefor is troublesome. In addition, if the personal computer is reset, any application programs being currently used have to be ended.
The USB hub
9
described above just allows an increase in the number of devices to be connected. When a device is added or removed, the USB connector needs to be disconnected and connected again at the USB port
2
a,
or the personal computer has to be reset, in the same way as in a case in which the USB hub
9
is not used.
A wireless device is easier to handle because it does not have a cable. Even for such a device, a connector needs to be disconnected and connected again, or an operation corresponding thereto is required to identify device connection again. A further operability improvement cannot be expected, which uses the advantages of a wireless device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device control method and a device control apparatus which automatically identify device connection and allow a connected device to be used, without initializing the device by resetting a system or by disconnecting a connector and then connecting it again.
The foregoing object is achieved in one aspect of the present invention through the provision of a device control method in which a device driver is switched when a computer provided with a USB port is connected to a device which conforms to the USB standard and is used by being connected to the computer, wherein a control section which can switch the device driver is provided for the computer, and when a new device is added to the computer or a connected device is removed from the computer, the control section allows the device driver to be automatically switched to a driver dedicated to the device without switching a data-line connection pin provided for the USB port or without performing the corresponding switching operation.
With the foregoing means, the computer perceives that a device has been connected and can immediately make the connected device ready just by connecting the device to the computer, without disconnecting a connector from the USB port and then connecting it again after the device is added or removed or without resetting the system.
In this case, the control section can be introduced into the computer by software.
By installing the software into the computer in advance, when a new device is connected, a device driver dedicated to the device immediately starts running and is readily used.
Even an unfamiliar device (a device whose device driver is not installed in advance) can be used by upgrading the software to a version which handles the unfamiliar device. If the operating system of the computer is updated to a new version, the program only needs to be changed so that the software corresponds to the operating system. The user does not need to buy new hardware.
It is preferred that the device be a wireless device connected to the computer through a controller which transmits and receives device data.
As described above, when a wireless device is used, the device is made ready just by disposing it at a predetermined location specified by the controller. By moving the device from the predetermined location, the device driver which corresponds to the device and which has started running in the computer is released.
In this case, when a new device is disposed at a predetermined location, the controller receives information from the device and sends the received device information to the computer. The control section perceives the device information, identifies the type of the connected device, and activates a device driver dedicated to the device.
The foregoing object is achieved in another aspect of the present invention through the provision of a device control apparatus including a computer provided with a USB port, a device which conforms to the USB standard and is used by being connected to the computer, and a control section which can switch the driver of the device, wherein the control section is introduced into the computer by software. Thereby, when a new device is added to the computer or a connected device is removed from the computer, the device driver is automatically switched to a driver dedicated to the device without switching a data-line connection pin provided for the USB port or without performing the corresponding switching operation.
Since the control section provided for the computer is implemented by the software in the control apparatus, a
Endo Yoshihisa
Higuchi Shin'ichi
Ogino Kouichi
Ooshita Kazuhito
Sonoda Yuko
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Ray Gopal C.
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