Touchscreen Emulation via Embedded Controller PS2 Protocol
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touch input devices such as touchscreens and touchpads fail to operate when the operating system has not been loaded or when the touchscreen driver is absent, as they rely on device drivers installed in the operating system for communication.
Innovation Solution
An embedded controller in the information handling system emulates the touchscreen as a legacy PS2 device, allowing it to receive and translate touch input information into a format that can be interpreted without a touchscreen driver, and switches to normal processing once the operating system and driver are loaded.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a touchscreen uses a modern device driver interface, then touch input functionality is improved when the operating system is loaded, but the touchscreen fails to operate when the operating system has not been loaded or the driver is absent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an embedded controller as an intermediary device between the touchscreen and the host processor. This embedded controller contains a legacy PS2 device emulator that translates touchscreen input into legacy PS2 mouse protocol signals, enabling the touchscreen to function without requiring modern operating system drivers. The embedded controller acts as a bridge that makes the touchscreen compatible with both legacy and modern systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the communication interface parameters by implementing a legacy PS2 protocol interface on the embedded controller. This allows the touchscreen to communicate using the simple, legacy PS2 protocol instead of requiring complex modern USB or I2C protocols with dedicated drivers. The parameter change from modern protocol to legacy protocol enables broader compatibility across different operating system states.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the touchscreen communicates through a legacy PS2 interface, then compatibility with pre-OS states is improved, but the device complexity increases due to emulation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the legacy PS2 device emulator functionality into the embedded controller, which already exists in most modern computers for keyboard and mouse support. By combining the touchscreen interface with the existing embedded controller infrastructure, the patent avoids adding separate complex emulation hardware. The embedded controller integrates multiple functions including touchscreen handling, PS2 emulation, and system management.
3Speed
If the embedded controller continuously monitors touchscreen input for wake-up signals, then system responsiveness is improved, but energy consumption increases during sleep mode
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic monitoring of touchscreen input during sleep mode rather than continuous monitoring. The embedded controller checks for touch input at intervals while in sleep mode, allowing the system to remain responsive to wake-up signals while consuming less power than continuous monitoring would require. This periodic action balances responsiveness with energy efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
An information handling system with a touchscreen is disclosed. When the operating system has not been loaded or a driver of the touchscreen is absent, an embedded controller of the information handling system receives and presents touch input information from the touchscreen to a host processor by emulating the touchscreen as a legacy PS2 device. After the operating system is loaded and a driver for the touchscreen is running, the legacy PS2 device emulation is terminated and touch input information from the touchscreen is presented through an I/O interface to the host processor and processed by the operating system.