Display interface system and connection detection method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a display interface system and a connection detection method thereof. The display interface system comprises a transmission interface, a control module and a transmission line. The transmission interface is electrically connected to the display. The control module is used for loading basic input / output system (BIOS) firmware and executing an operating system. The transmission line is electrically connected between the transmission interface and the control module, and the transmission line is provided with a hot insertion channel. In response to the BIOS firmware, the power state of the operating system is switched, the control module generates a negative pulse according to the BIOS firmware to trigger the display to detect whether the display is electrically connected to the transmission interface, and the negative pulse is transmitted to the display through the hot plug channel and the transmission interface. The power state corresponds to a state in an advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) specification.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a display and hot-plugging, and in particular, to a display interface system and a connection detection method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the vigorous development of image display technology, electronic devices or products related to image display technology also have significant progress. Among them, the transmission interface used to realize image signal transmission has developed from the commonly used video graphics array (VGA) interface and digital video interface (DVI) interface to the current popular high-definition multimedia (HDMI) interface, DisplayPort (DP) interface or USB Type-C interface. In addition, the display device used to display the screen has also developed into various types of designs, such as LCD screens, LED screens, or OLED screens.

[0003] However, there are still some problems between various types of transmission interfaces and various types of display devices. For example, when a user plugs two ends of a transmission line into a transmission interface of a host device (for example, a desktop computer) and a display device, respectively, to display a screen through the display device, the screen may disappear and cannot be recovered due to compatibility problems or signal problems. At this time, the user can only re-plug at least one end of the transmission line to trigger the display device supporting hot-plugging to re-detect the device, thereby recovering the display screen. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a display interface system and a connection detection method thereof. In some embodiments, a display interface system includes a transmission interface, a control module, and a transmission line. The transmission interface is electrically connected to a display. The control module is used to load a basic input / output system (BIOS) firmware and execute an operating system. The transmission line is electrically connected between the transmission interface and the control module, and the transmission line has a hot-plugging channel. In response to the BIOS firmware switching a power state of the operating system, the control module generates a negative pulse according to the BIOS firmware to trigger the display to detect whether it is electrically connected to the transmission interface, and the negative pulse is transmitted to the display through the hot-plugging channel and the transmission interface. The power state corresponds to a state in the advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) specification.

[0005] In some embodiments, the display interface system further includes a power supply module electrically connected to the control module and used to provide a supply power to the control module.

[0006] In some embodiments, the power supply module is further used to adjust the voltage value of the supply power according to the BIOS firmware.

[0007] In some embodiments, the transmission interface includes a plurality of transmission interfaces, the transmission lines include a plurality of transmission lines corresponding to the plurality of transmission interfaces, and the plurality of transmission interfaces are selected from a group consisting of a High-Definition Multimedia (HDMI) interface, a DisplayPort (DP) interface, a Universal Serial Bus Type-C (USB Type-C) interface, and combinations thereof.

[0008] In some embodiments, the pulse width of the negative pulse is greater than a threshold value.

[0009] In some embodiments, the display interface system further includes a power transmission module, and the transmission lines include a first sub-channel, a second sub-channel, and a third sub-channel, wherein the first sub-channel is electrically connected between the control module and the power transmission module, and the second sub-channel and the third sub-channel are electrically connected between the power transmission module and the transmission interface.

[0010] In some embodiments, the power transmission module is configured to transmit the negative pulse to the transmission interface via the second sub-channel or the third sub-channel.

[0011] In some embodiments, a connection detection method of a display includes: a control module loading a Basic Input Output System (BIOS) firmware and executing an operating system; in response to the BIOS firmware switching a power state of the operating system, the control module generating a negative pulse according to the BIOS firmware, wherein the power state corresponds to a state in the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification; and the control module transmitting the negative pulse to the display via a hot plug channel of a transmission line and a transmission interface to trigger the display to detect whether the display is electrically connected to the transmission interface.

[0012] In some embodiments, the connection detection method further includes: the control module receiving a supply power from a power supply module; and in response to the BIOS firmware switching the power state of the operating system, the power supply module adjusting a voltage value of the supply power according to the BIOS firmware.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the display interface system according to any of the above embodiments and the connection detection method thereof can generate the negative pulse to trigger the driving chip of the display to re-detect whether the display is electrically connected to the transmission interface of the host device, thereby achieving the same effect as hot plug to enable the display to normally display images. In addition, since the BIOS system can automatically and frequently switch the power state of the operating system, the display interface system and the connection detection method thereof can periodically generate the negative pulse to maintain the display function of the display without manual operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] Other features and effects of the present application will be apparent from the embodiments described below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 is a circuit block diagram of a first embodiment of a display interface system;

[0016] Figure 2 is a flow chart of operation of the first embodiment of the display interface system in Figure 1

[0017] Figure 3 is a signal diagram of some embodiments of the display interface system in Figure 1

[0018] Figure 4 is a circuit block diagram of a second embodiment of a display interface system;

[0019] Figure 5 is a flow chart of operation of the second embodiment of the display interface system in Figure 4

[0020] Figure 6 is a circuit block diagram of a third embodiment of a display interface system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Before the present application is described in detail, it is to be understood that like elements are denoted by like numerals throughout the description.

[0022] In the description of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used only to distinguish descriptions, and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In addition, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "at least one" is one or more, and the meaning of "plurality" is two or more.

[0023] Reference will now be made to Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a circuit block diagram of a first embodiment of a display interface system 10. A display interface system 10 includes a transmission interface 100, a control module 110, and a transmission wire 120, wherein the transmission wire 120 is electrically connected between the transmission interface 100 and the control module 110, and the transmission wire 120 has a hot plug channel HPC (the function of the hot plug channel HPC will be described later). In some embodiments, the display interface system 10 can be a part of a motherboard of an electronic product; or the display interface system 10 can also be an independent expansion card or an adapter card in the electronic product. The electronic product is, for example, a desktop computer, a notebook computer, an industrial computer, or a server host, without being limited thereto.

[0024] ​​​The transmission interface 100 is electrically connected to an external display 20. In some embodiments, the display 20 can be a device having a picture display function, such as but not limited to a computer screen, a television, a mobile phone screen, or a tablet screen. In some embodiments, a transmission line L1 is disposed between the transmission interface 100 and the display 20, and two ends of the transmission line L1 are respectively inserted into the transmission interface 100 and the display 20. In other words, the transmission interface 100 is electrically connected to the display 20 via the transmission line L1.

[0025] In some embodiments, the transmission interface 100 can be an interface for transmitting image signals and supporting hot plug, such as but not limited to a high-definition multimedia (HDMI) interface, a DisplayPort (DP) interface, or a USB Type-C interface. Among them, hot plug is a function between a host device (such as a desktop computer or a notebook computer) and a removable device (such as a mouse, a keyboard, a U disk, or a computer screen), which allows the host device to directly plug in or remove the removable device while the host device is powered on without causing damage to the host device or the removable device. And the host device can detect the insertion / removal of the removable device in real time. Hot plug is known to those skilled in the art, and will not be described here.

[0026] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 2 is Figure 1 the operation flowchart of the first embodiment of the display interface system 10, and Figure 3 is Figure 1 the signal schematic diagram of some embodiments of the display interface system 10. As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, when the display interface system 10 is electrically connected to an external power supply (not shown) to be powered on, the control module 110 first loads a basic input / output system (BIOS) firmware 111, and then executes an operating system 112 (step S100). In some embodiments, the BIOS firmware 111 and the operating system 112 are stored in a storage module SM1 (such as but not limited to a read-only memory or a flash memory) of the display interface system 10, wherein the storage module SM1 is electrically connected to the control module 110. In other embodiments, the BIOS firmware 111 and the operating system 112 are stored in an external storage device (not shown) to which the display interface system 10 is electrically connected.

[0027] In some embodiments, the control module 110 can be a System-on-chip (SoC) in which the SoC includes a Central processing unit (CPU) chip and a Platform controller hub (PCH) chip. In other embodiments, the control module 110 can include multiple independent chips (e.g., but not limited to, a CPU chip and a PCH chip).

[0028] In some embodiments, the BIOS firmware 111 is used to perform initialization of each hardware element in the display interface system 10 when the display interface system 10 is powered on, and to provide the operating system 112 with hardware control functions (i.e., control hardware through firmware) required for the operating system 112 to run. In some embodiments of step S100, when the operating system 112 performs an operation or setting related to a hardware element (e.g., power management), the control module 110 triggers the control module 110 to switch to execute the BIOS firmware 111 through a System management interrupt (SMI) mechanism. At this time, the BIOS firmware 111 adjusts the parameters of the hardware element to achieve the operation or setting on the operating system 112. And when the control module 110 completes the task corresponding to the SMI mechanism, the control module 110 switches to execute the operating system 112. In some embodiments, the operating system 112 is, for example, a Windows operating system, a Linux operating system, or a macOS, without being limited thereto.

[0029] After step S100, in response to the BIOS firmware 111 switching a power state of the operating system 112, the control module 110 generates a negative pulse NP according to the BIOS firmware 111 (step S110), and transmits the negative pulse NP to the corresponding display 20 through the hot plug channel HPC of the transmission line 120 and the transmission interface 100 (step S120). In some embodiments, the control module 110 sends the negative pulse NP through the pin Pin1 corresponding to the hot plug channel HPC, and the display 20 receives the negative pulse NP through the pin (not shown in the figure) corresponding to the hot plug channel HPC.

[0030] In some embodiments, the power state of the operating system 112 corresponds to the states in the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification. ACPI is an interface specification for power management developed by Intel, Microsoft, and Toshiba, which aims to provide an interface for hardware configuration when the operating system 112 manages the power state of the hardware. In other words, when both the BIOS firmware 111 and the operating system 112 support the ACPI specification, the operating system 112 can adjust the power state of the corresponding hardware elements through the BIOS firmware 111, thereby switching the power state of the operating system 112.

[0031] Referring to Table 1, Table 1 shows various power states defined in the ACPI specification. As shown in Table 1, in some embodiments, the ACPI specification defines four power states G0-G3, where the power state G0 can also be referred to as the power state S0, the power state G1 can be subdivided into the power states S1-S4, and the power state G2 can also be referred to as the power state S5. Here, the operating system 112 can switch between the seven power states S0-S5, G3 according to different usage scenarios. In some embodiments, the operating system 112 can automatically switch its power state (for example, the Windows operating system automatically adjusts its power option to the power saving mode when idle to save power consumption). In other embodiments, the operating system 112 can also manually switch its power state (for example, the user manually adjusts the power option in the Windows operating system to the power saving mode).

[0032]

[0033]

[0034] Table 1

[0035] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the power state G3 shown in Table 1 requires the external power source to which the display interface system 10 is electrically connected to be turned off (for example, manually unplugging the plug of the external power source) to be achieved. Therefore, the operating system 112 cannot switch its power state to the power state G3 shown in Table 1 through the BIOS firmware 111. In addition, ACPI is known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the description of the power states described in Table 1 is only an exemplary form of the ACPI specification, and Table 1 is not intended to limit the power states in the ACPI specification. In other words, any modified or changed power state based on the known ACPI specification is within the scope of the claims of the present application.

[0036] In some embodiments, in response to the BIOS firmware 111 switching the power state of the operating system 112, the control module 110 generates a signal Shp with a negative pulse NP (as shown in FIG. 2) to the power management module 120. Figure 3(as shown). In some embodiments, the potential of the signal Shp switches from a high logic level representing a logic "1" to a low logic level representing a logic "0," maintains the voltage for a period of time, and then switches from the low logic level back to a high logic level to form a negative pulse NP. In some embodiments, the voltage value of the high logic level is, for example, 1 volt (V), 3V, or 5V, but is not limited thereto; and the voltage value of the low logic level is, for example, 0V, 0.1V, or 0.5V, but is not limited thereto.

[0037] In some embodiments, when the display 20 receives a low-logic-level signal Shp (i.e., a negative pulse NP), the driver chip (not shown) of the display 20 detects that the display 20 is not electrically connected to any transmission interface 100 (i.e., at least one end of the transmission line L1 is not plugged into the transmission interface 100 or the display 20). Furthermore, when the display 20 again receives a high-logic-level signal Shp, the driver chip of the display 20 detects that the display 20 is electrically connected to the transmission interface 100 and can display images normally (i.e., both ends of the transmission line L1 are plugged into the transmission interface 100 and the display 20, respectively). In other words, the hot plug channel HPC is used to transmit a signal (e.g., a negative pulse NP) for the display 20 to detect whether it is electrically connected to the transmission interface 100. Furthermore, the display interface system 10 can simulate the action of replugging or unplugging either end of the transmission line L1 (in reality, neither end of the transmission line L1 is replugged or unplugged), thereby producing an effect equivalent to hot plugging.

[0038] by Figure 3 For example, in this embodiment, the state ST1 represents the operating state of the display 20. When the state ST1 is On, it means that the display 20 is displaying a picture normally; when the state ST1 is Off, it means that the display 20 is not displaying a picture. Figure 3 As shown, at time t1, the display 20 may stop displaying images due to a signal problem. At this time, the BIOS firmware 111 has not yet switched the power state of the operating system 112, causing the signal Shp to remain at a high logic level. At time t2, the BIOS firmware 111 switches the power state of the operating system 112, causing the control module 110 to generate the signal Shp with a negative pulse NP in accordance with the BIOS firmware 111. Between time t2 and time t3, the driver chip of the display 20 receives the low-logic-level signal Shp, detecting that the display 20 is not electrically connected to any transmission interface 100. At time t3, the signal Shp switches from the low-logic-level back to the high-logic-level. At this point, the driver chip of the display 20 detects that the display 20 is electrically connected to the transmission interface 100 by receiving the high-logic-level signal Shp. Therefore, at time t4, the display 20 can display images normally.

[0039] In some embodiments, the time difference between time point t3 and time point t4 depends on the frequency speed of the driving chip of display 20. In other words, the faster the frequency speed of the driving chip of display 20, the shorter the time difference between time point t3 and time point t4; the slower the frequency speed of the driving chip of display 20, the longer the time difference between time point t3 and time point t4.

[0040] In some embodiments, when the pulse width PW1 of negative pulse NP is too short, the driving chip of display 20 considers negative pulse NP as noise and does not perform any detection. In this regard, in some embodiments, the pulse width PW1 of negative pulse NP is greater than a threshold value (e.g., 0.5 second or 1 second, without limitation) to ensure that the driving chip of display 20 performs the detection operation. In some embodiments, the threshold value can be set by the user; in other embodiments, the threshold value can also be adjusted according to the type of the driving chip of display 20.

[0041] In some embodiments, display interface system 10 further comprises a power supply module 130 (as shown in FIG. 1), wherein power supply module 130 is electrically connected to control module 110 and is used to provide a supply power Vsp to control module 110. In other words, power supply module 130 is used to convert the voltage value of the aforementioned external power supply (e.g., 100V, 110V or 220V, without limitation) to the voltage value of the supply power Vsp (e.g., 1V, 3V, 5V or 12V, without limitation) suitable for control module 110. In this regard, in some embodiments, when display interface system 10 is powered on, control module 110 first receives supply power Vsp with the appropriate voltage value (step S90) before loading BIOS firmware 111 and executing operating system 112 (step S100). Figure 1

[0042] After step S100, in some embodiments, in response to BIOS firmware 111 switching the power state of operating system 112, power supply module 130 first adjusts the voltage value of supply power Vsp according to BIOS firmware 111 (step S105) before control module 110 generates negative pulse NP according to BIOS firmware 111. In other words, when the power state of operating system 112 is switched, the change in the voltage value of supply power Vsp is controlled by power supply module 130. For example, in Table 1, when the power state of operating system 112 is switched from power state S0 to power state S2, power supply module 130 adjusts the voltage value of supply power Vsp from 12V to 3V.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , Figure 4 ​is a circuit block diagram of a second embodiment of the display interface system 10, and Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Schematic diagrams of signals of some embodiments of the display interface system 10 are shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments, the transmission interface 100 is a USB Type-C interface. The USB Type-C interface is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) hardware interface. The USB Type-C interface is characterized by its support and compatibility with multiple transmission standards, such as, but not limited to, the Thunderbolt 3 data transmission standard, the DP2.0 video transmission standard, or the USB-PD power transmission standard. The Type-C interface supports high-wattage power transmission (such as, but not limited to, 36 watts, 65 watts, or 100 watts).

[0044] Here, in some embodiments, the display interface system 10 further includes a power transmission module 140, wherein the power transmission module 140 is disposed between the transmission interface 100 and the control module 110 so that the transmission interface 100 supports the power transmission function. In addition, the transmission line 120 needs to comply with the hardware specifications of the USB Type-C interface in order to transmit signals normally. Here, in some embodiments, the transmission line 120 includes a first sub-channel C1, a second sub-channel C2, and a third sub-channel C3. Among them, the first sub-channel C1 is electrically connected between the pin Pin1 of the control module 110 and the power transmission module 140 and has a hot plug channel HPC, and the second sub-channel C2 and the third sub-channel C3 are electrically connected between the power transmission module 140 and the transmission interface 100.

[0045] In some embodiments, the second sub-channel C2 corresponds to the first configuration channel (CC1) in the USB Type-C interface hardware specification, and the third sub-channel C3 corresponds to the second configuration channel (CC2) in the USB Type-C interface hardware specification. CC1 and CC2 are used to manage communication between a master device (corresponding to the control module 110) and a slave device (corresponding to the display 20) at their respective ends, such as for connection detection or USB Type-C cable insertion direction identification. The USB Type-C interface hardware specification is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be further described.

[0046] In some embodiments, when the control module 110 transmits the signal Shp having the negative pulse NP to the power transmission module 140, the power transmission module 140 is configured to transmit the negative pulse NP to the transmission interface 100 via the second sub-channel C2 or the third sub-channel C3. Figure 5 For example, in this embodiment, the signal Sc1 is the signal on the first sub-channel C1 (corresponding toFigure 3 The signal Sc2 is a signal on the second sub-channel C2, and the signal Sc3 is a signal on the third sub-channel C3. Figure 5 As shown, at time t1, the display 20 may stop displaying images due to a signal problem. At this time, the BIOS firmware 111 has not yet switched the power state of the operating system 112, causing signals Sc1, Sc2, and Sc3 to all remain at a high logic level. At time t2, the BIOS firmware 111 switches the power state of the operating system 112, causing the control module 110 to generate signal Sc1 with a negative pulse NP based on the BIOS firmware 111 and receive signal Sc2 from the power transmission module 140. Between time t2 and time t3, because the driver chip of the display 20 receives signal Sc2 at a low logic level, the driver chip of the display 20 detects that the display 20 is not electrically connected to any transmission interface 100. At time t3, signal Sc2 switches from a low logic level back to a high logic level. At this point, the driver chip of the display 20 receives signal Sc2 at a high logic level, detecting that the display 20 is electrically connected to the transmission interface 100. Therefore, at time t4, the display 20 can display images normally.

[0047] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the line of the USB Type-C interface (eg, the transmission line 120) actually includes multiple channels, and the functions of each channel are different. Figure 4 and Figure 5 This is merely an example to illustrate the relationship between sub-channels C1, C2, and C3 in transmission line 120, and is not intended to limit the form of transmission line 120. In other words, any circuit or channel modified based on the hardware specifications of the conventional Type-C interface is within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

[0048] Please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 1 is a circuit block diagram of a third embodiment of the display interface system 10. In some embodiments, the transmission interface 100 includes a plurality of transmission interfaces 100, the transmission line 120 includes a plurality of transmission lines 120 corresponding to the plurality of transmission interfaces 100, and the plurality of transmission interfaces 100 are selected from HDMI interfaces, DP interfaces, USB Type-C interfaces, and combinations thereof. Figure 6For example, in the present embodiment, the display interface system 10 includes three transmission interfaces 101, 102, 103 (corresponding to the transmission interface 100) and three transmission lines 121, 122, 123 (corresponding to the transmission line 120) corresponding to the transmission interfaces 101, 102, 103, and each of the transmission lines 121, 122, 123 is electrically connected to the pins Pin1, Pin2, Pin3 of the control module 110, respectively, wherein the pins Pin1, Pin2, Pin3 correspond to the hot plug channel HPC. In some embodiments, the transmission interfaces 101, 102 can be HDMI interfaces or DP interfaces, and the transmission interface 103 is a USB Type-C interface. At this time, when the display interface system 10 is simultaneously connected to the plurality of displays 20 via the plurality of transmission lines L1-L3, the display interface system 10 can send a negative pulse NP to each display 20 individually to ensure that each display 20 continuously displays a picture.

[0049] In summary, according to any of the above embodiments, the display interface system and its connection detection method can generate a negative pulse to trigger the driving chip of the display to re-detect whether the display is electrically connected to the transmission interface of the host device, thereby achieving the same effect as hot plugging to make the display display normally. In addition, since the BIOS system can automatically and frequently switch the power state of the operating system, the display interface system and its connection detection method do not need to be manually operated to periodically generate a negative pulse to maintain the display function of the display.

[0050] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A display interface system, characterized by, Comprising: a transmission interface electrically connected to a display; a control module loading a basic input / output system (BIOS) firmware and executing an operating system; and a transmission line electrically connected between the transmission interface and the control module, wherein the transmission line has a hot plug channel; wherein, in response to the BIOS firmware switching a power state of the operating system, the control module generates a negative pulse according to the BIOS firmware to trigger the display to detect whether it is electrically connected to the transmission interface, and the negative pulse is transmitted to the display via the hot plug channel and the transmission interface, wherein the power state corresponds to a state in the advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) specification.

2. The display interface system of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising a power supply module electrically connected to the control module and used to provide a supply power to the control module.

3. The display interface system of claim 2, wherein, The power supply module is further used to adjust a voltage value of the supply power according to the BIOS firmware.

4. The display interface system of claim 1, wherein, The transmission interface comprises a plurality of transmission interfaces, the transmission line comprises a plurality of transmission lines corresponding to the plurality of transmission interfaces, and the plurality of transmission interfaces are selected from a high-definition multimedia (HDMI) interface, a DisplayPort (DP) interface, a USB Type-C interface, and combinations thereof.

5. The display interface system of claim 1, wherein, A pulse width of the negative pulse is greater than a threshold value.

6. The display interface system of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising a power transmission module, and the transmission line comprises a first sub-channel, a second sub-channel, and a third sub-channel, wherein the first sub-channel is electrically connected between the control module and the power transmission module, and the second sub-channel and the third sub-channel are electrically connected between the power transmission module and the transmission interface.

7. The display interface system of claim 6, wherein, The power transmission module is used to transmit the negative pulse to the transmission interface via the second sub-channel or the third sub-channel.

8. A method for detecting a connection of a display, the method comprising: Comprising: a control module loading a basic input / output system (BIOS) firmware and executing an operating system; in response to the BIOS firmware switching a power state of the operating system, the control module generates a negative pulse according to the BIOS firmware, wherein the power state corresponds to a state in the advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) specification; and the control module transmits the negative pulse to the display via a hot plug channel of a transmission line and a transmission interface to trigger the display to detect whether it is electrically connected to the transmission interface.

9. The connection detection method according to claim 8, characterized in that: Further comprising: the control module receiving a supply power from a power supply module; and in response to the BIOS firmware switching the power state of the operating system, the power supply module adjusts a voltage value of the supply power according to the BIOS firmware.

10. The connection detection method of claim 8, wherein, A pulse width of the negative pulse is greater than a threshold value.

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