Virtual Keyboard Input During BIOS Initialization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face inconvenience during the initialization of electronic devices with touch screens when the driver has not been loaded, as there are insufficient physical keys for inputting commands.
Innovation Solution
An electronic apparatus with a processor, touch display module, and embedded controller that provides a virtual input area and translates touch events into scan codes for input operations, enabling input functions even before the operating system is loaded.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a touch screen is used to reduce physical keys, then the device becomes more compact and modern, but the user cannot input commands during initialization when the touch screen driver has not been loaded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a virtual keyboard that is prepared and displayed in advance during the initialization stage, before the operating system and touch screen driver are loaded. This preliminary action enables user input capability to be available from the very beginning of the boot process, resolving the contradiction by ensuring input adaptability is established before the system fully initializes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an embedded controller as an intermediary component that can process virtual keyboard input events independently of the main processor and operating system. This intermediary enables the touch screen to function as a input device during initialization by translating touch events into scan codes that the BIOS can understand, even before the touch screen driver is loaded.
2Adaptability or versatility
If only physical keys are provided for input, then the device has limited input methods, but during initialization the physical keys are insufficient for the required input functions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the touch screen serve multiple functions: it acts as both the primary display interface and an input device through the virtual keyboard. This multi-functionality increases input interface versatility without adding separate physical input components, as the same touch screen hardware provides both visual output and input capabilities during initialization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of a physical keyboard interface on the touch screen display. This virtual keyboard replicates the familiar keyboard layout and input methodology, providing the necessary input functionality during initialization without requiring actual physical keys, thus avoiding increased device complexity while maintaining input versatility.
3Ease of operation
If the touch screen driver is loaded early to enable input, then input functionality is available, but the system initialization process may be compromised or unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The embedded controller serves as a mediator that handles touch input processing independently during initialization. By offloading the input processing from the main processor that is still booting up, the system maintains initialization stability while providing input availability. The embedded controller translates touch events into a standardized format that can be processed by the BIOS without requiring the touch screen driver to be loaded.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the input processing function from the main system initialization process. The embedded controller handles the complex task of translating touch events into scan codes independently, while the main processor continues its initialization sequence uninterrupted. This segmentation allows input functionality to be available without compromising the stability of the initialization process.
Data Source
AI summary
A touch display method is configured for an electronic apparatus including a touch display module and an embedded controller. The touch display module includes a touch display device and a touch input controller. The method includes following steps: loading a BIOS to perform an initialization operation when the electronic apparatus has not loaded an operating system; defining a virtual input area in the touch display device; and further displaying an input interface on the virtual input area. Generate a touch event when the touch display device is touched and translate the touch event into a coordinate by the touch input controller. If the coordinate is in the input interface, the touch input controller outputs a function signal to the embedded controller through the hardware interface. The embedded controller translates the function signal into a scan code for the electronic apparatus to execute operations corresponding to the scan code.