Switch and On-Screen Display Systems and Methods

• US 20080250350A1
• Filed: 04/04/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATEN International Corporation Limited (ATEN International Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: ATEN International Company Limited
• Inventors: Liu, Chien-Hsing, Huang, Wei-Min, Chen, Sun-Chung
• Granted Patent: US 8,196,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes

Abstract

A system with switch and on-screen display function includes a display device and a switch device. The display device includes a display panel and a display circuit. The display circuit is coupled with the display panel and is configured to control the display device. The display circuit includes an on-screen display generating circuit. The switch device is coupled with the display device and is configured to switch an access to one of at least two computers. The on-screen display generating circuit includes a signal receiving circuit, a processing circuit and a signal outputting circuit. The signal receiving circuit is configured to receive command signals from the switch device. The processing circuit generates first on-screen display menu signals for providing a first on-screen display menu in response to the received command signals. The signal outputting circuit of the on-screen display generating circuit provides the first on-screen display signals to the display panel.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a display device configured for displaying information, the display device including a display panel and a display circuit, the display circuit being coupled with the display panel and including an on-screen display generating circuit; and

a switch device coupled with the display device, the switch device being configured to switch an access to one of at least two computers,

wherein the on-screen display generating circuit comprises;

a signal receiving circuit configured to receive command signals from the switch device, the command signals being generated in response to a first command for controlling the switch device;

a processing circuit configured to generate, responsive to the received command signals, first on-screen display signals for providing a first on-screen display menu; and

a signal outputting circuit configured to provide the first on-screen display signals to the display panel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first command for controlling the switch device is configured to switch the access to one of at least two computers by a set of user interface coupled to the switch device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

the signal receiving circuit is configured to receive command signals in response to a second command received by a display control processor configured to control the display device, the display control processor being a portion of the display circuit;

the processing circuit is configured to generate second on-screen display signals for providing a second on-screen display menu based on the command signals from the display control processor, the second on-screen display menu being a menu for enabling a control of the display device; and

the signal outputting circuit is configured to output the second on-screen display signals to the display device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the on-screen display generating circuit is embedded within a display controller in the display circuit and outputs at least one of the first and the second on-screen display signals to the display panel through an output interface of the display controller.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the on-screen display generating circuit is coupled with a display controller in the display circuit and outputs at least one of the first and the second on-screen display signals through an input interface and an output interface of the display controller to the display panel.

6. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a first on-screen display generating circuit configured to generate the first on-screen display signals in response to the first commands received by the switch device for controlling the switch device to switch the access to one of at least two computers coupled with the switch device, and

a second on-screen display generating circuit configured to generate the second on-screen display signals in response to the second commands received by the display control processor for controlling the display panel,

wherein the first on-screen display generating circuit is coupled with a display controller and the second first on-screen display generating circuit is embedded within the display controller.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first command received by the switch device comes from at least one of a keyboard and a cursor control device coupled with the switch device.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the second command received by the display control processor comes from a control panel coupled with the display circuit.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the command signals and the on-screen display signals are in compliance with an I2C bus protocol.

10. A system configured to provide on-screen display and switch functions, the system comprising:

a switch device configured to switch an access to one of at least two computers; and

a display device configured to display information, the display device being coupled with the switch device and including a display panel and a display circuit, the display circuit being coupled with the display panel and including an on-screen display generating circuit, the on-screen display generating circuit comprising;

a signal receiving interface configured to receive command signals from the switch device, the command signals being configured to control a first on-screen menu for enabling the control of the switch device;

a processing circuit configured to generate, responsive to the received command signals, first on-screen display signals for providing the first on-screen display menu; and

a signal outputting interface configured to provide the first on-screen display signals to the display panel.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first on-screen menu is provided for enabling the switch of the access to one of at least two computers by a set of user interface coupled to the switch device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein

the signal receiving interface is configured to receive command signals in response to a second command received by a display control processor configured to control the display device, the display control processor being a portion of the display circuit;

the processing circuit is configured to generate second on-screen display signals for providing a second on-screen display menu based on the command signals from the display control processor, the second on-screen display menu being a menu for enabling a control of the display device; and

the signal outputting interface is configured to output the second on-screen display signals to the display device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the on-screen display generating circuit is embedded within a display controller in the display circuit and outputs at least one of the first and the second on-screen display signals to the display panel through an output interface of the display controller.

14. A method for generating on-screen display menus in a display device, the display device including a display panel coupled with a display circuit, the method comprising:

receiving command signals from a switch device, the command signals being generated in response to a first command for controlling the switch device, the switch device being coupled with the display device;

generating first on-screen display signals for providing a first on-screen display menu; and

outputting the first on-screen display signals to the display panel.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first command for controlling the switch device is configured to switch the access to one of at least two computers by a set of user interface coupled to the switch device.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving command signals in response to a second command received by a display control processor configured to control the display device;

generating second on-screen display signals for providing a second on-screen display menu based on the command signals received from the display control processor; and

outputting the second on-screen display signals to the display panel.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating the first and the second on-screen display menus within a display controller included in the display circuit and outputting at least one of the first and the second on-screen display signals to the display panel through an output interface of the display controller.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating at least one of the first and the second on-screen display signals on the display circuit and directing at least one of the first and the second on-screen display signals through an input interface and the output interface of the display controller to the display panel.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating the first on-screen display signals on the display circuit in response to the commands received by the switch device for controlling the switch device to switch the access to one of the at least two computers coupled with the switch device, and directing the first on-screen display signals through the input and output interfaces of the display controller to the display device; and

generating the second on-screen display signals within the display controller in response to the commands received by the display control processor for controlling the display and directing the first on-screen display signals through the output interface of the display controller to the display panel.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving the first command received by the switch device from at least one of a keyboard and a cursor control device coupled with the switch device.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving the second command received by the display control processor from a control panel coupled with the display circuit.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising routing at least one of the command signals and the on-screen display signals in compliance with an I2C bus protocol.