Using multiple serial bus devices with a driver program

Details Using multiple serial bus devices with a driver program Using multiple serial bus devices with a driver program

1998-12-18

2001-09-25

Auve, Glenn A. (Department: 2181)

Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/

Intrasystem connection

Bus access regulation

C710S107000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06295570

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND
The invention relates to using multiple serial bus devices with a driver program.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, for the purpose of electrically capturing an optical image
11
, a typical digital camera
12
(of a digital imaging system
21
) may include an array of photon sensing pixel sensors
20
. During an integration interval, each pixel sensor
20
typically measures the intensity of a portion, or pixel, of a representation of the optical image that is focused (by optics of the camera
12
) onto the pixel sensors
20
. At the expiration of the integration interval, each sensor
20
typically indicates (via an analog voltage, for example) an intensity of light of the pixel.
The camera
12
typically processes the indications from the pixel sensors
20
to form a frame of data which digitally represents the captured image. The frame may be transferred via a serial bus
15
(a Universal Serial Bus (USB), for example) to a computer
14
for viewing or stored in a flash memory of the camera
12
. During video operations, the camera
12
may capture several optical images in succession and furnish several frames of data to the computer
34
, each of which indicates one of the captured images. The computer
14
may then use the frames to recreate the captured video on a display
9
.
The computer
14
typically executes driver programs to communicate with devices that are coupled to the serial bus
15
. Quite often, the driver program may be designed for communication with only one bus device. For example, a camera driver program
17
may be designed to cause the computer
14
to communicate with one camera that is coupled to the serial bus
15
. A difficulty may arise when an additional camera
18
is coupled to the bus
15
, as more than one camera may exceed the driver program's capabilities.
Thus, there is a continuing need for a system that accommodates the use of multiple serial bus devices with a single device-driver program.
SUMMARY
In one embodiment, a method for using a driver program to communicate with multiple serial bus devices includes selecting one of the serial bus devices and automatically coupling the selected serial bus device to a computer. The other serial bus devices are isolated from the computer, and the driver program is executed to communicate with the selected serial bus device.
In another embodiment, an article includes a computer readable storage medium that includes instructions to cause a computer to select a serial bus device from a group of serial bus devices. The serial bus devices are capable of communicating with the computer when the computer executes a driver program. The selected serial bus device is automatically coupled to the computer, and the other serial bus devices are isolated from the computer. The driver program is executed to communicate with the selected serial bus device.


REFERENCES:
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patent: 5611055 (1997-03-01), Krishan et al.
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patent: 5819112 (1998-10-01), Kusters
patent: 5890015 (1999-03-01), Garney et al.
patent: 5903777 (1999-05-01), Brief
patent: 6061746 (2000-05-01), Stanley et al.
patent: 6073188 (2000-06-01), Fleming
patent: 6105097 (2000-08-01), Larkey et al.
patent: 6119195 (2000-09-01), Ellis et al.

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