User equipment connectable to an external device

• US 8,949,494 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KT Corporation
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: Jung, Jae-Hun, Kang, Shin-Hyuk, Kang, You-Jin, Kim, Byeong-Tae, Lee, Jung-Wook, Jung, Hyuk-Jun, Cha, Jae-Uk
• Primary Examiner(s): Tseng, Cheng-Yuan
• Application Number:
  US13/540,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20130007301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/72
• 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

Abstract

Provided are user equipment connectable to an external device and a method for establishing a connection between user equipment including second constituent elements and an external device including first constituent elements and controlling the external device. The method may include sensing the connection to the external device, obtaining first constituent element information from the external device through the connection, wherein the first constituent element information includes information on first constituent elements of the external device, selecting target constituent elements to control from the first constituent elements of the external device based on the obtained first constituent element information, reconfiguring a control path for controlling the selected target constituent elements of the external device, and controlling the selected target constituent elements of the external device through the reconfigured control path.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a connection between user equipment including second constituent elements and an external device including first constituent elements and controlling the external device, the method comprising:

sensing the connection to the external device;

obtaining a first constituent element identification table from the external device through the connection, wherein the first constituent element identification table includes a corresponding constituent element identification number for each first constituent element of the external device;

selecting target constituent elements to control from the first constituent elements of the external device according to a constituent element identification number comparison between the first constituent element identification table and a second constituent element identification table, wherein the second constituent element identification table is stored in the user equipment and includes a corresponding constituent element identification number for each second constituent element of the user equipment;

reconfiguring a control path for controlling the selected target constituent elements of the external device; and

controlling the selected target constituent elements of the external device through the reconfigured control path,

wherein the corresponding constituent element identification number is an identification value differently defined according to a constituent element type, and does not represent a constituent element connection status; and

wherein the selecting includes;

comparing constituent element identification numbers included in the first constituent element identification table and constituent element identification numbers included in the second constituent element identification table;

selecting constituent elements having the same constituent element identification numbers from the first constituent elements, according to a result of the constituent element identification number comparison; and

determining the selected constituent elements as the target constituent elements to control.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing the connection to the external device includes:

supplying power to the external device when a coupling interface of the user equipment is physically connected to a corresponding coupling interface of the external device;

receiving a signal from the external device in response to the supplied power; and

determining the connection is established to the external device upon the receipt of the signal,

wherein the signal is generated in hardware by returning a part of the supplied power through the coupling interfaces.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining operation setting of the second constituent elements; and

synchronizing operation setting of the selected target constituent elements with the obtained operating setting of the second constituent elements.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reconfiguring a control path includes:

reconfiguring a command control path for transferring commands with associated data, generated in the user equipment, to at least one of the selected target constituent elements of the external device; and

reconfiguring an event control path for receiving event signals generated in at least one of the selected target constituent elements of the external device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the controlling the selected target constituent elements of the external device includes:

generating the command with associated data, as results of performing associated applications installed in a controller of the user equipment;

transmitting the generated command with associated data to at least one of the selected target constituent elements of the external device through the reconfigured command path; and

outputting the associated data through at least one of the selected target constituent elements based on the command.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the controlling the selected target constituent elements of the external device includes:

receiving the event signal generated in at least one of the selected target constituent elements of the external device through the reconfigured event control path; and

performing an associated application in response to the event signal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating the external device with the first constituent elements after sensing the connection established between the user equipment and the external device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inactivating the second constituent elements of the user equipment after the selecting target constituent elements.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing releasing of the connection established between the user equipment and the external device;

reconfiguring the reconfigured control path back to an original control path; and

controlling the second constituent elements of the user equipment through the original control path.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the reconfiguring the reconfigured control path includes:

reconfiguring a command control path for transferring commands with associated data, generated in the user equipment, to at least one of the second constituent elements of the user equipment; and

reconfiguring an event control path for receiving event signals generated in at least one of the second constituent elements of the user equipment.

11. User equipment connectable to an external device including first constituent elements, the user equipment comprising:

a coupling interface configured to sense connection established to the external device;

a plurality of second constituent elements each configured to perform an associated operation in response to at least one of a command and an event signal generated in response to an input from a user; and

a controller configured to control the first constituent elements of the external device by reconfiguring a control path for transferring commands with associated data, generated as results of operations and receiving event signals generated in response to inputs from a user,

wherein the controller is further configured (i) to obtain a first constituent element identification table including a corresponding constituent element identification number for each first constituent element, from the external device, and (ii) to perform a selection procedure of target constituent elements to be controlled from the first constituent elements, according to a constituent element identification number comparison between the first constituent element identification table and a second constituent element identification table, wherein the second constituent element identification table is stored in the user equipment and includes a corresponding constituent element identification number for each second constituent element of the user equipment;

wherein the constituent element identification number is an identification value differently defined according to a constituent element type, and does not represent a constituent element connection status; and

wherein the selection procedure includes;

comparing constituent element identification numbers included in the first constituent element identification table and constituent element identification numbers included in the second constituent element identification table;

selecting constituent elements having the same constituent element identification numbers from the first constituent elements, according to a result of the constituent element identification number comparison; and

determining the selected constituent elements as the target constituent elements to control.

12. The user equipment of claim 11, wherein the coupling interface includes:

at least one port configured to;

supply power to the external device when the coupling interface is physically connected to a corresponding coupling interface unit of the external device; and

receive a signal from the external device in response to the supplied power, wherein the corresponding coupling interface of the external device generates the signal in hardware by returning a part of the supplied power.

13. The user equipment of claim 11, wherein the controller includes:

a control path manager configured to;

reconfigure an initial command control path for transferring commands with associated data, which is generated by an application installed in the controller of the user equipment, to at least one of the first constituent elements of the external device when the user equipment is connected to the external device through the corresponding coupling interfaces;

reconfigure an initial event control path that receives event signals generated in at least one of the first constituent elements of the external device when the user equipment is connected to the external device through the corresponding coupling interfaces;

reconfigure the reconfigured command control path back to the initial command control path for transferring commands with associated data to at least one of the second constituent elements; and

reconfigure the reconfigured event control path back to the initial event control path for receiving event signals generated in at least one of the second constituent elements.

14. The user equipment of claim 11, wherein the controller includes:

an agent configured to transfer the command with related data to the external device and to receive the event signals from the external device when the user equipment is connected to the external device; and

a control path manager configured to transfer the command with related data to the agent when the user equipment is connected to the external device, to transfer the command with related data to at least one of the second constituent elements when the user equipment is disconnected from the external device, to receive the event signal from the agent and transfer the received signal to the controller when the user equipment is connected to the external device, and to receive the event signal from at least one of the second constituent elements and transfer the received event signal to the controller.

15. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein:

the controller is configured to register a first module at the control path manager;

the agent is configured to register a second module at the control path manager; and

the control path is configured to call the first module to transfer the command with related data to the controller when the user equipment is disconnected from the external device and to call the second module to transfer the command with related data to the agent.

16. The user equipment of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to:

generate the command with associated data, as results of performing associated applications installed in the controller; and

transmit the generated command with associated data to at least one of the first constituent elements of the external device through the reconfigured command path,

wherein the at least one of the first constituent elements of the external device is controlled to output the associated data based on the command.

17. The user equipment of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to:

receive the event signals from the external device through the reconfigured event control path; and

perform an associated application in response to the received event signal,

wherein the event signals are generated in at least one of the first constituent elements of the external device in response to inputs from a user.

18. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to:

obtain operating setting of the second constituent elements; and

synchronize operating setting of the selected target constituent elements with obtained operating setting of the second constituent elements.