Electronic apparatus, external apparatus and method of controlling the same

• US 10,445,853 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2018
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Koo, Ja-goun
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Jacinta M
• Application Number:
  US16/209,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20190108609A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• Field of Search: 345501, 345502, 345505
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/409 Mechanical coupling back panels H05K7/1438
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1639 Arrangements for locking plugged peripheral connectors
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/04 Display protection
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04

Abstract

An electronic apparatus includes a locking unit to selectively lock a physical connection with an external apparatus and a control unit to control an operation mode of the electronic apparatus, according to a connection state with the external apparatus, in which the control unit controls the locking unit to lock the connection with the external apparatus, when the electronic apparatus is in an operation mode of using a graphic processing unit of the external apparatus.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus connectable with an external apparatus, the electronic apparatus comprising:

a lock configured to be electrically operated to connect or disconnect the electronic apparatus with the external apparatus; and

a processor configured to;

operate in one of a plurality of operation modes, based on a connection or a disconnection of the electronic apparatus and the external apparatus, and

control the lock to keep the electronic apparatus connected with the external apparatus based on the processor being in an operation mode for using a graphic processing unit of the external apparatus to perform graphic processing.

2. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a graphic processor configured to perform graphic processing.

3. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein, if the electronic apparatus and the external apparatus are not connected, the processor is further configured to operate in a first operation mode for using only a graphic processor of the electronic apparatus to perform graphic processing, and

wherein, if the electronic apparatus and the external apparatus are connected, the processor is further configured to operate in a second operation mode for using at least one of the graphic processing unit of the external apparatus and the graphic processor to perform graphic processing.

4. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive a release command from the external apparatus.

5. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to control the lock to disconnect the electronic apparatus with the external apparatus based on the release command being received by the communication interface.

6. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 4,

wherein, if the release command is received, the processor is further configured to use only a graphic processor of the electronic apparatus to perform graphic processing, and

wherein, after the processor controls to use only the graphic processor of the electronic apparatus, the processor is further configured to control the lock to disconnect the electronic apparatus with the external apparatus.

7. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein, if the release command is received by the communication interface while the processor is in the operation mode for using the graphic processing unit of the external apparatus to perform graphic processing, the processor is further configured to control the lock to keep the electronic apparatus connected with the external apparatus despite the release command being received by the communication interface.

8. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein, if the release command is received by the communication interface while the processor is in the operation mode for using the graphic processing unit of the external apparatus to perform graphic processing, the processor is further configured to control an indicator to indicate that controlling the lock to disconnect the electronic apparatus with the external apparatus is unable.

9. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface configured to receive an input to control the lock to disconnect the electronic apparatus with the external apparatus.

10. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a socket configured to interface between the electronic apparatus and the external apparatus,

wherein the electronic apparatus and the external apparatus are connected through the socket and the release command is received from the external apparatus through the socket.

11. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic apparatus is configured to indicate that the electronic apparatus is detachable from the external apparatus, while the external apparatus is connected with the electronic apparatus.

12. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface configured to display a notification that the electronic apparatus is detachable.

13. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a socket configured to interface between the electronic apparatus and the external apparatus,

wherein the socket is directly connected with the external apparatus.

14. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the socket is interfaced with the external apparatus via at least one of high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) and thunderbolt.

15. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the graphic processing unit of the external apparatus is a discrete graphic processing unit (dGPU) provided on a main board.

16. A method of controlling an electronic apparatus connectable with an external apparatus, the electronic apparatus including a lock configured to be electrically operated to connect or disconnect the electronic apparatus with the external apparatus, and a processor configured to operate in one of a plurality of operation modes, based on a connection or a disconnection of the electronic apparatus and the external apparatus, the method comprising:

connecting the electronic apparatus with the external apparatus by lock; and

controlling, by the processor, the lock to keep the electronic apparatus connected with the external apparatus based on the processor being in an operation mode for using a graphic processing unit of the external apparatus to perform graphic processing.

17. A portable communication device comprising:

a touchscreen display;

a locking unit to lock a physical connection between the portable communication device and an external electronic device including a graphics processing unit; and

a processor adapted to;

receive, from the external electronic device, a command to unlock the physical connection between the portable communication device and the external electronic device while the physical connection is locked,

based at least in part on the receiving of the command, determine whether the graphics processing unit included in the external electronic device is terminated, and

unlock the physical connection using the locking unit based at least in part on a determination the graphics processing unit included in the external electronic device is terminated.

18. The portable communication device of claim 17, wherein the processor is adapted to:

display, via the touchscreen display, an indication indicating whether the external electronic device is physically detachable from the portable communication device based at least in part on the receiving of the command.

19. The portable communication device of claim 17, wherein the processor is adapted to:

refrain from unlocking the physical connection based at least in part on a determination that the graphics processing unit included in the external electronic device is not terminated.

20. The portable communication device of claim 17,

wherein the locking unit includes a moving member, and

wherein the processor is adapted to:

control the locking unit such that the moving member is to be positioned at a first specified position to lock the physical, and

control the locking unit such that the moving member is to be positioned at a second specified position different from the first specified position to unlock the physical connection.

21. The portable communication device of claim 17, wherein the processor is adapted to:

automatically lock the physical connection between the portable communication device and the external electronic device using the locking unit based at least in part on the determination that the portable communication device is physically connected to the external electronic device.

22. The portable communication device of claim 17, wherein the processor is adapted to:

provide power to the external electronic device based at least in part on the determination that the portable communication device is physically connected to the external electronic device.

23. The portable communication device of claim 17, wherein the portable communication device forms a tablet computer, and the external electronic device forms a keyboard device.