System and method for operation mode control in a computer system

• US 7,412,467 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2004
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Li-Yen
• Primary Examiner(s): MALZAHN, DAVID H
• Application Number:
  US10/858,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20050005201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 708/105
• US Class Current: 708/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4403 Processor initialisation

Abstract

A system and method is provided for operation mode control. The system includes a mode controller generating a combination of electric potentials and an additional microprocessor having a storage module having a mode list, a detection module and a control module. The detection module detects the combination of the electric potentials and determines a shift direction of the mode controller according thereto. The control module selects a target operation mode adjacent to the current operation mode in the mode list according to the shift direction, and checks the disparity of the current operation mode and the target operation mode to generate a control signal to direct the computer system to reboot or execute an application specific to the second operation mode, and subsequently enables the computer system to operate in the second operation mode.

Claims

1. A system for operation mode control for use in a computer system, comprising:

a mode controller for generating a combination of electric potentials on a first connection terminal and a second connection terminal; and

an additional microprocessor, comprising;

a storage module, further comprising;

a mode list recording a plurality of operation modes; and

a pointer designating one of operation modes in the mode list as a first operation mode;

a detection module for detecting the combination of the electric potentials at a first sampling point, and determine a shift direction of the mode controller according thereto; and

a control module for selecting a second operation mode adjacent to the first operation mode in the mode list according to the shift direction, checking a disparity between the first and the second operation modes, generate a control signal to the computer system according to the check result, directing the computer system to reboot or execute an application specific to the second operation mode, and subsequently enabling the computer system to operate in the second operation mode.

2. The system for operation mode control as claimed in claim 1 wherein the control module further updates the pointer to designate the second operation mode according to the shift direction.

3. The system for operation mode control as claimed in claim 1 wherein the detection module further stops detecting the combination of the electric potentials within a first predetermined period after the first sampling point.

4. The system for operation mode control as claimed in claim 1 wherein the detection module further detects the combination of the electric potentials at a second sampling point within a second predetermined period after the first sampling point, and ignores the combination of electric potentials detected at the second sampling point if the electric potential combination derived at the first sampling point and the electric potential combination derived at the second sampling point are different.

5. The system for operation mode control as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a display screen, to which the control module further sends a signal to display information of the second operation mode.

6. The system for operation mode control as claimed in claim 1 wherein the computer system is configured to operate in a normal operating mode or one of the sub-modes subjected to a multimedia mode class.

7. The system for operation mode control as claimed in claim 6 wherein, when the first operation mode is the normal operation mode and the second operation mode is one of the sub-modes of the multimedia mode class, the control module generates a control signal to a power circuit of the computer system to direct the computer system to reboot, enables the computer system to operate in the second operation mode, and executes the application specific to the second operation mode.

8. The system for operation mode control as claimed in claim 6 wherein, when the first operation mode is one of the sub-modes of the multimedia mode class and the second operation mode is the normal operation mode, the control module generates a control signal to a power circuit of the computer system to direct the computer system to reboot and operate in the normal operation mode.

9. The system for operation mode control as claimed in claim 6 wherein, when the first and second operation modes are different sub-modes of the multimedia mode class, the control module generates a control signal to the computer system to direct the computer system to operate in the second operation mode, and execute the application specific to the second operation mode.

10. A method for operation mode control for use in a computer system, comprising the steps of:

providing a mode controller to generate a combination of electric potentials on a first connection terminal and a second connection terminal;

providing an additional microprocessor comprising a mode list recording a plurality of operation modes and a pointer selecting one of the operation modes in the mode list as a first operation mode;

detecting the combination of the electric potentials at a first sampling point, and determining a shift direction of mode controller according thereto;

selecting a second operation mode adjacent to the first operation mode in the mode list according to the shift direction;

checking the disparity between the first and the second operation modes; and

generating a control signal to the computer system according to the check result, and directing the computer system to reboot or execute an application corresponding to the second operation mode, and subsequently enabling the computer system to operate in the second operation mode.

11. The method for operation mode control as claimed in claim 10 further comprising updating the pointer to designate the second operation mode according to the shift direction.

12. The method for operation mode control as claimed in claim 10 further comprising stopping detecting the combination of the electric potentials within a first predetermined period after the first sampling point.

13. The method for operation mode control as claimed in claim 10 further comprising detecting the electric potential combination at a second sampling point after the first sampling point in a second predetermined period, and ignoring the electric potential combination detected at the second sampling point if the electric potential combination of the first sampling point and the electric potential combination of the second sampling point are different.

14. The method for operation mode control as claimed in claim 10 further comprising sending a signal to a display screen to display information of the second operation mode.

15. The method for operation mode control as claimed in claim 10 wherein the computer system is configured to operate in a normal operation mode or and one of sub-modes subjected to a multimedia mode class.

16. The method for operation mode control as claimed in claim 15 wherein, when the first operation mode is the normal operation mode and the second operation mode is one of the sub-modes of the multimedia mode class, the additional microprocessor generates a control signal to a power circuit of the computer system to direct the computer system to reboot, operate in the second operation mode, and execute the application corresponding to the second operation mode.

17. The method for operation mode control as claimed in claim 15 wherein, when the first operation mode is one of the sub-modes of the multimedia mode class and the second operation mode is the normal operation mode, the additional microprocessor generates a control signal to a power circuit of the computer system to direct the computer system to reboot and operate in the normal operation mode.

18. The method for operation mode control as claimed in claim 15 wherein, when the first and second operation modes are different sub-modes of the multimedia mode class, the additional microprocessor generates a control signal to the computer system to direct the computer system to operate in the second operation mode, and executes an application specific to the second operation mode.