CN101339458B - Device configuration method and configuration module of "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a configuration method of a computer system with one machine and multiple workstations, a USB Hub box, the computer system with one machine and multiple workstations and a workstation card. The configuration method comprises the following steps: (1) identifying all special standard USB hubs connected to a host; each special standard USB Hub corresponds to one expansion workstation; and enabling the original workstation and each extended workstation to respectively correspond to one display card. It should be noted that the three substeps in step (1) are not order-limited. In a better scheme, the step (1) is as follows: firstly, identifying all special standard USB hubs connected to a host; enabling each special standard USB Hub to correspond to one expansion workstation; and thirdly, enabling the original workstation and each extended workstation to respectively correspond to one display card.

Description

Device configuration method and configuration module of "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system

technical field

The invention relates to a configuration method of a "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system and an equipment configuration module of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system.

Background technique

The so-called one computer multi-workstation technology refers to adding a small amount of hardware to an ordinary computer and installing the corresponding software (this software is the key to one computer multi-workstation technology, so it is generally called one computer multi-workstation software). Share a computer to multiple users to use at the same time, and multiple users simultaneously and independently share the hardware, software and peripheral resources of a computer, that is, one computer host drags multiple workstations.

One computer multi-workstation technology divides one computer into many, which has obvious advantages. The above-mentioned one-machine multi-workstation software currently has two products, Betwin and Hishare, which are widely used in electronic reading rooms and other fields.

When multiple human-computer interaction devices are connected to the computer (the human-computer interaction devices are specifically defined as: including but not limited to graphics cards, display terminal devices - monitors, projectors, televisions, etc., sound cards, speakers, headphones, microphones, etc. , mouse, keyboard, game controller and other input and output devices, the same below), when logging in and/or using this computer with multiple user names at the same time, these human-computer interaction devices need to be assigned to different workstations according to the wishes of computer users (Each workstation is composed of one or several human-computer interaction devices sharing the resources of a computer host, which can be used by one user, the same below). At present, there have been several solutions for this allocation method and system, but there are certain problems in these known solutions.

The first solution is the currently popular technical solution, including the following three steps:

1. After connecting all human-computer interaction devices to the computer, turn on the power of the computer and log in to the computer. At this time, all the computer-computer interaction devices belong to only one logged-in user.

2. Run the one-machine multi-workstation software, enter the workstation configuration interface, present all human-computer interaction devices to computer users, and computer users assign these human-computer interaction devices to different workstations;

3. Then when the computer enters the multi-workstation working state, under the scheduling of the multi-workstation software for one machine, each human-computer interaction device will automatically belong to different workstations according to the assignment in step 2. Different computer users log in to any one of the workstations with their own user names and use the computer independently at the same time.

The disadvantage of Solution 1 is that: In step 2, that is, the workstation configuration step, the user is required to have a professional computer level, and the configuration is difficult; in addition, the configuration method adopted by this solution is not intuitive.

The US patent specification (patent number: US7030836; authorized publication date: April 18, 2006) discloses a second technical solution, which is named as a method and system for configuring a multi-user computer system. This manual gives another method for configuring human-computer interaction devices for each user of the "one computer with multiple workstations" computer. In the configuration process, the software automatically configures the non-display human-computer interaction devices first, and then The computer user manually participates in the configuration of the human-computer interaction display device in an intuitive manner according to the prompt, which reduces the work of the computer user to manually configure the non-display human-computer interaction device, and makes the configuration process of the display device more intuitive.

The technical solution in this specification introduces the concept of "collection", and all peripherals belonging to the same workstation are defined as a collection in this patent.

The program includes the following three steps:

1. After connecting all human-computer interaction devices to the computer, turn on the power of the computer and log in to the computer. At this time, all the computer-computer interaction devices belong to only one logged-in user.

2. Run the one-machine multi-workstation software, and the computer will automatically configure the human-computer interaction equipment (steps c and d require manual participation by the user), and the configuration process is as follows:

a) Form a collection of all non-USB, non-display human-computer interaction devices (this collection does not include display devices for the time being, so it is temporarily incomplete);

b) All USB and non-display human-computer interaction devices are formed into multiple sets according to a certain logic (not including display devices for the time being), the logic is complex, there are certain prerequisites, and all USB devices and USB Hubs need to be The connection relationship is analyzed, but it does not involve the method of adding hardware feature marks in the USB Hub.

c) The collections defined according to the above logic all have at least one keyboard or mouse. The work of this step is to assign the display devices to each collection one by one. Therefore, the system displays a prompt box on the first display device, asking the user to Click any button of the keyboard or mouse that is to be combined with the display device to form a workstation, and then add the display device to the set where the keyboard or mouse comes from according to the user's button.

d) The rest of the display devices are also implemented according to step c.

3. After the configuration process is over, each workstation enters the working state according to the configuration results. Different computer users log in to any one of the workstations with their own user names and use the computer independently at the same time.

The shortcoming of above-mentioned patent is as follows:

First, according to the configuration method of this patent, each workstation is required to have at least one keyboard (or other specified type of human-computer interaction input device). or the human-computer interaction input device of the aforementioned specified type), the configuration method cannot be completed.

Second, according to the configuration method of this patent, human-computer interaction devices plugged into different USB hubs (sub-hub and parent hub) may belong to different sets (corresponding to different workstations), or may be forced to belong to the same On a set (corresponding to the same workstation), ordinary users can easily mistake the latter case for an error.

Third, when the configuration is completed and enters the multi-workstation working state, if the configured human-computer interaction devices are disconnected from the host, for example, the user has plugged and unplugged these devices or the device is not in good contact with the host, or the user will be disconnected. Changing the configured USB device from one USB socket to another socket in the same USB Hub may cause configuration errors, causing some human-computer interaction devices to not work according to the configuration results; that is, to adopt this solution The working stability of the "one machine with multiple users" computer and various human-computer interaction devices is relatively poor.

Contents of the invention

In order to overcome the shortcoming of above-mentioned technology, the present invention provides a kind of equipment configuration method of "one machine multi-workstation" computer system, this configuration method can make most or all steps in the configuration process be finished automatically by "one machine multi-workstation" software, And the system is relatively stable. At the same time, the present invention also provides a device configuration module of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system used in the device configuration method.

Concrete technical scheme is as follows.

The equipment configuration method of "one machine multi-workstation" computer system, the described system includes a host, a plurality of graphics cards are installed in the host, the host is connected to at least one special USB Hub, and the special USB Hub refers to a computer with Recognized characteristic mark, and can pass through the USB Hub of authentication, this method carries out the configuration of one machine multi-workstation by described system, and this method comprises the steps:

(1) Identify all special USB Hubs connected to the host;

Make each special USB Hub correspond to an expansion workstation;

Make the original workstation and each expansion workstation correspond to a graphics card;

The step of "making the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card" includes the following sub-steps:

a) Only pop up a prompt window on the display terminal device connected to a graphics card, prompting the user to input an action through an input device of the workstation paired with the display terminal;

b) Waiting for a certain period of time; within this waiting period, if an action from an input device is recognized, the graphics card connected to the display terminal device is assigned to the workstation to which the input device from which the input action comes belongs;

c) Repeat steps a), b) until all display cards have popped up the prompt window described in step a);

(2) The human-computer interaction devices connected to each special-label USB Hub are assigned to the extended workstations corresponding to each special-label USB Hub; other human-computer interaction devices are assigned to the original workstations.

The invention also discloses a device configuration module of a "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system. The system includes a host with multiple graphics cards installed in the host. The host is connected to at least one special-label USB Hub. The special-label USB Hub Refers to the USB Hub with a computer-recognizable feature mark that can pass the certification. The device configuration module includes:

The identification unit is used to identify all the special USB Hubs connected to the host;

The first control unit is used to make each special standard USB Hub correspond to an expansion workstation;

The second control unit is used to make the original workstation and each expansion workstation correspond to a graphics card;

The first allocation unit is used to distribute the human-computer interaction equipment connected to each special USB Hub to the expansion workstation corresponding to each special USB Hub;

The second allocation unit is used to allocate other human-computer interaction equipment to the original workstation;

In addition, the second control unit includes:

The action prompt unit is used to pop up a prompt window only on the display terminal device connected to a graphics card, prompting the user to input an action through an input device of the workstation paired with the display terminal;

The dividing control unit is used to wait for a certain period of time. During this waiting period, if an action from an input device is recognized, the graphics card connected to the display terminal device is divided into the workstation to which the input device from which the input action comes belongs;

The window control unit is used to repeat the working steps of the action prompting unit and the division control unit until all display cards have popped up the prompt windows described in the working steps of the action prompting unit.

The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

First, compared with the U.S. patent in the prior art, the configuration method provided by the present invention is adopted in the computer, and the configuration process of all non-display human-computer interaction devices can be completed automatically, and there is no need to require each A workstation must have at least one keyboard prerequisite.

Second, compared with the U.S. patent in the prior art, since the configuration of the aforementioned workstation has nothing to do with the USB device itself, it is only related to the USB Hub, so in the multi-workstation working state, the user can heat any USB device. Swapping (a hot-swapping by the user only adds or removes a device in the corresponding workstation without causing other effects). Users can also connect an unconfigured USB device to an ordinary USB Hub, and the device will automatically belong to the workstation corresponding to the USB Hub and work normally in the workstation; at the same time, in the multi-workstation working state, Allow ordinary USB Hub itself to be hot-swapped (the user's hot-swapped only increases or decreases the devices in the corresponding workstation, without causing other effects, the workstation still exists).

Third, when the computer is in a single-user working state, if there are multiple graphics cards installed in the computer, the operating system usually only enables one of them, and the graphics card enabled by the operating system may not be enabled by the user's expectations. Therefore, the present invention proposes a configuration state in which all graphics cards are enabled. Under this configuration state, all graphics cards work normally, and all graphics cards output the same video signal, ensuring that users can use any display connected to the computer. Terminal Equipment.

The 4th, the present invention also proposes multiple USB Hub box and workstation card, by utilizing the hardware feature of USB Hub box and workstation card in configuration process, and the hardware feature of video card, USB Hub, other each human-computer interaction equipment, greatly greatly Simplifies the configuration method of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system.

Fifth, when there are only two workstations in the system, it is allowed to switch the graphics cards of the two workstations by means of shortcut buttons.

Sixth, use the ordinary USB Hub as the logo to divide different workstations, or use the logo of the USB socket on the USB Root Hub to divide different workstations.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the connection of "one computer with multiple workstations" computer human-computer interaction equipment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of division of software modules of "one machine with multiple workstations" in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the basic configuration parameter table of each workstation of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a logical schematic diagram of the method for configuring the "one machine with multiple workstations" system adopted in the "one machine with multiple workstations" software in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software graphics card configuration method in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a flow chart of dynamic configuration of human-computer interaction devices at each workstation of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the parameter structure of the "man-machine interaction equipment table for each workstation" software of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the configuration results of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software with multiple workstations according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the principle of the "special standard USB Hub display box" according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of division of software modules of "one machine with multiple workstations" in Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a method for quickly switching graphics cards according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of division of software modules of "one machine with multiple workstations" according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of an expansion workstation card used in Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software multi-workstation configuration in Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram of division of software modules of "one machine with multiple workstations" according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The invention discloses a configuration method of a "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system. The system includes a host with multiple graphics cards installed in the host. The host is connected to at least one special-label USB Hub. The special-label USB Hub refers to A USB Hub with a computer-recognizable feature mark that can pass the certification, the method implements the configuration of one machine and multiple workstations through the system, and the method includes the following steps: (1) Identify all the special USB hubs connected to the host computer. Standard USB Hub; make each special standard USB Hub correspond to an expansion workstation; make the original workstation and each expansion workstation correspond to a graphics card. It should be noted that the three sub-steps in step (1) are not limited in order. A better solution, step (1) is as follows: ①Identify all special-label USB Hubs connected to the host computer; ②Make each special-label USB Hub correspond to an expansion workstation; ③Make the original workstation and each expansion workstation correspond to the a graphics card.

(2) The human-computer interaction device connected to the special-label USB Hub is assigned to the extended workstation corresponding to the special-label USB Hub; other human-computer interaction devices are assigned to the original workstation.

It should be noted that the special standard USB Hub refers to a USB Hub with a characteristic mark that can be recognized by a computer and that can pass the certification. The USB Hub box refers to a device with a built-in USB Hub, including a device with a built-in USB Hub or a device that integrates other devices and buttons with the USB Hub. The special-label USB Hub box refers to a device with a special-label USB Hub built in. The original workstation refers to those workstations formed by sharing the resources of the computer host with human-computer interaction devices directly connected to the computer host. The extended workstation refers to a workstation formed by sharing the host computer resources with human-computer interaction devices connected to a special USB Hub. It is known that before step (1), all the special USB Hubs that will be used in the future should be turned on and connected to the host.

The special standard USB Hubs are respectively directly connected to the host computer. Its meaning is that it is not allowed to connect special USB Hubs in series.

A better solution for "identifying all special USB Hubs connected to the host" is as follows:

When the characteristic flags of the special USB Hub are stored in the main chip of the USB Hub, or in the external ROM of the main chip of the USB Hub, the steps of "identifying all the special USB Hubs connected to the host" are as follows: : a) read out the feature information of the USB Hub stored in each USB Hub main chip or in the external ROM of the USB Hub main chip; b) authenticate the read USB Hub feature flag information one by one, if the feature flag The information is the specified feature flag information (the value and meaning of the feature flag information are agreed with the relevant USB Hub hardware manufacturers in advance, and the feature flag information of USB Hubs of different manufacturers is different), then the authentication is passed, and the USB Hub is the all The special standard USB Hub is described.

When the feature marks of the special USB Hub are stored in the USB device connected to the USB Hub, the steps of "identifying all the special USB Hubs connected to the host" are specifically: a) read out the The feature information in the main chip of each USB device or in the external ROM of the main chip outside the USB device; b) authenticate the feature flag information of the read USB device one by one, if the feature flag information is the specified feature flag information ( The value and meaning of the feature flag information are agreed in advance with the relevant USB device hardware manufacturer, and the feature flag information of USB devices of different manufacturers is different), then the authentication is passed, and the USB Hub connected to the USB device is the above-mentioned Special USB Hub.

When the characteristic mark of the special-label USB Hub adopts the serial number of the USB interface of the host connected to the USB Hub, the step of "identifying all the special-label USB Hubs connected to the host" is specifically: by specifying The USB Hub connected to one of the host USB interfaces and the computer host is the special standard USB Hub.

For the dual-head graphics card supported above the windowsXP operating system, it is also equivalent to two graphics cards among the multiple graphics cards of the present invention, and is also within the protection scope of the present invention.

Described USB Hub is respectively connected with a human-computer interaction device, and described human-computer interaction device is one of keyboard, mouse, game joystick, sound card, microphone, camera and combinations thereof except graphics card.

It should be noted that when the system executes step (1), in a better way, the USB Hub in the system does not need to be connected to the human-computer interaction device.

When the system executes between step (2) and step (1), it is a better way to restart the system and then connect to the human-computer interaction device.

The step of "making each special-label USB Hub correspond to an extended workstation" is specifically: set the number of extended workstations in the system to the number of identified special-label USB Hubs, and make the extended workstations and special-label USB Hubs one by one correspond.

In a better solution, the step of "making the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card respectively" includes the following sub-steps: 4a) Only a prompt window pops up on the display terminal device connected to a graphics card, prompting the user to pass An input device of the workstation paired with the display terminal inputs an action; 4b) Wait for a certain period of time; within this waiting time, if an action from an input device is recognized, if the input device from which the input action comes from is not the same as a certain If the special USB Hub is connected, or the input action itself comes from a special USB Hub box, then the graphics card connected to the display terminal device should be mapped to the expansion workstation corresponding to the special USB Hub. If the input action comes from the The input device is directly connected to the host computer, and the graphics card connected to the display terminal device is corresponding to the original workstation; 4c) repeat steps 4a), 4b) until all graphics cards have popped up the prompt window described in step 4a).

A better solution, the step of "making the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card", includes the following sub-steps:

Lead the video output of the host graphics card to the special-label USB Hub, and set a signal detection device around the special-label USB Hub. This device is used to identify whether the graphics card outputs a specific signal; 

5a) Make only one graphics card output the specific video signal mentioned in step 5a);

5b) Wait for a certain period of time; within this waiting time, if a special USB Hub display box recognizes the video input signal, the graphics card will be assigned to the expansion workstation corresponding to the special standard USB Hub display box;

5c) Repeat steps 5b), 5c) until all graphics cards have output the specific video signal described in step 5a);

5d) Unassigned graphics cards are assigned to the original workstation.

Said step 5b) can also be "only make one graphics card output ordinary video signal" or "only make one graphics card not output video signal", as long as it is ensured that the output of this graphics card is different from that of other graphics cards in the host computer, and that in step 5a) The signal inspection device can identify the output of the graphics card, and feedback it to the host computer in time through the special USB Hub.

In the present invention, the user is allowed to configure multiple graphics cards to the same workstation. After configuration, there may be a situation where no graphics card is configured in a certain workstation. At this time, the computer can configure the human-computer interaction equipment of this workstation. Some adjustments (temporarily disable all the devices in the workstation, or configure all the devices in the workstation to another workstation), or continue to maintain the independence of the workstation (the workstation can temporarily have no output, or use audio output and other non-display output methods).

Preferably, when "one machine multi-workstation" is a machine with two workstations and each workstation is configured with a graphics card, the present invention can adopt a dual graphics card switching method to quickly configure, and the specific steps of the method are as follows: a specific button or A certain key combination is pressed, and the graphics cards in the two workstations are swapped. Its meaning is that when the configuration relationship between the graphics card and the workstation does not meet the wishes of the computer user, there is a shortcut button for switching, which can be set through the keyboard or directly set on the USB Hub box, which is convenient for the user to switch. At any stage after the configuration relationship between the workstation and the graphics card is determined, you can use this shortcut key to switch the graphics card configuration. It should be noted that the dual graphics card switching method of the "one computer with multiple workstations" computer system of the present invention can not only be applied to the "one computer with multiple workstations" computer system in the present invention, but also can be applied to other various "one computer with multiple workstations" computer system.

Before the step (1) of the configuration method, the step (0) is also included as follows: making all graphics cards connected to the host computer display the same user interface.

In the device configuration method of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system, when there are a plurality of special USB Hub boxes in the system, the characteristic signs of each special USB Hub box are different.

The device configuration method of the "one-machine multi-workstation" computer system is characterized in that the special standard USB Hub box has a system-recognizable feature mark, and adopts the following method to obtain:

Read the original default signature stored in the USB Hub chip to identify; or

Read the feature flag stored in the external ROM of the main chip of the USB Hub to identify; or

Read the signature stored in the USB device connected to the USB Hub to identify; or

Read the number or other characteristic marks of the host USB interface connected to the USB Hub box to identify it.

The device configuration method of the described "one-machine multi-workstation" computer system is characterized in that the "original default feature mark" described therein is one of VID, PID or product serial number of the USB Hub, and the described "connection "The characteristic flag stored in the USB device to the USB Hub" is one of the VID, PID, and product serial number of the USB device.

A kind of USB Hub box adopted in the equipment configuration method of above-mentioned " one machine multi-workstation " computer system, comprise USB Hub main chip and peripheral circuit, it has the feature sign that computer can recognize, and is stored in USB Hub main chip, or The external ROM of the main chip of the USB Hub, or stored in the USB device connected to the USB Hub.

Further, the USB Hub box integrates human-computer interaction devices including one of a USB infrared receiver, a USB wireless receiver, a USB sound card or a combination thereof.

More preferably, the USB Hub box integrates a key that can trigger an input event, and when the key is touched, the USB Hub box can cause the host to generate an input event.

The USB Hub box is integrated with a video input interface and a device for identifying a specific video signal.

"One machine multi-workstation" computer system, the system includes a host, multiple graphics cards are installed in the host, the host is connected to the above-mentioned USB Hub box, and the USB Hub box includes the USB Hub main chip and peripheral circuits, which have computer-identifiable and stored in the main chip of the USB Hub, or the external ROM of the main chip of the USB Hub, or stored in the USB device connected to the USB Hub.

And the described USB Hub box integrates a human-computer interaction device including one of a USB infrared receiver, a USB wireless receiver, a USB sound card or a combination thereof, wherein the human-computer interaction device has two functions of input and output .

The USB Hub box integrates a button that can trigger an input event, and when the button is touched, the USB Hub box can cause the host to generate an input event.

In the USB Hub box, the USB Hub box integrates a video input interface and integrates a device for identifying a specific video signal.

Described computer system, the human-computer interaction equipment that wherein described USB Hub box is connected respectively. The human-computer interaction device is one of a keyboard, a mouse, a remote control receiver, a joystick, a sound card, a loudspeaker, a microphone, a camera or a combination thereof.

The configuration method of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system described in the present invention can be applied to a computer system using an ordinary USB Hub through simplification. Hub, the method implements the configuration of one machine and multiple workstations through the system, and the method does not need to authenticate the USB Hub, including the following steps: (i) identifying all USB Hubs connected to the host computer; making each USB Hub Corresponds to an expansion workstation; makes the original workstation and each expansion workstation correspond to a graphics card respectively. It should be noted that the three sub-steps in step (i) are not limited in order. A better solution, step (i) is as follows: ① Identify all USB Hubs connected to the host computer; ② Make each USB Hub correspond to an expansion workstation; ③ Make the original workstation and each expansion workstation correspond to a graphics card.

(ii) The human-computer interaction device connected to the USB Hub is assigned to the extended workstation corresponding to the USB Hub; other human-computer interaction devices are assigned to the original workstation.

A workstation card, in which at least one graphics card and at least one USB port or PS/2 port are integrated, and the graphics card and the USB port are in one-to-one correspondence in hardware design. The graphics card and the human-computer interaction device connected to the workstation card correspond to the same workstation.

The configuration method of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system according to the present invention can also be further simplified in the following manner: the above-mentioned workstation card is adopted, and the card is inserted on the slot of the mainboard in the computer host, with a video output interface and USB port (and/or PS/2 port). The workstation card can be formed by integrating other human-computer interaction connection devices (such as USB Hub) or interfaces of other human-computer interaction devices on a graphics card.

All human-computer interaction devices connected to the same workstation card and the graphics card integrated in the workstation card are automatically configured to the same extended workstation, and other human-computer interaction devices and graphics cards are automatically configured as original workstations.

A device configuration module of a "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system, the system includes a host, a plurality of graphics cards are installed in the host, and the host is connected to at least one special USB Hub, wherein the device configuration module includes: an identification unit , used to identify all the special USB Hubs connected to the host; the first control unit is used to make each special USB Hub correspond to an expansion workstation; the second control unit is used to make the original workstation and each expansion workstation Corresponding to a graphics card respectively; the first distribution unit is used to distribute the human-computer interaction equipment connected to each special USB Hub to the expansion workstation corresponding to each special USB Hub; the second distribution unit is used to distribute other human-computer interaction devices The device is assigned to the original workstation.

The human-computer interaction device is one of a keyboard, a mouse, a remote control receiver, a joystick, a sound card, a loudspeaker, a microphone, a camera or a combination thereof.

The first control unit includes: a quantity setting unit, which is used to set the number of extended workstations in the system to the number of identified special-label USB Hubs, so that the extended workstations correspond to the special-label USB Hubs one-to-one.

The second control unit includes: an action prompt unit, which is used to pop up a prompt window only on the display terminal device connected to a graphics card, prompting the user to input an action through an input device of a workstation paired with the display terminal; The dividing control unit is used to wait for a certain period of time. During this waiting period, if an action from an input device is recognized, the graphics card connected to the display terminal device is divided into the workstation to which the input device from which the input action comes belongs; The window control unit is used to repeat the working steps of the action prompting unit and the division control unit until all display cards have popped up the prompt windows described in the working steps of the action prompting unit.

The second control unit includes: a first output control unit, which is used to lead the video output of the host graphics card to the special-label USB Hub, and a signal detection device is arranged on the periphery of the special-label USB Hub, and this device is used to identify whether the graphics card is Output a specific signal; the second output control unit is used to make only one graphics card output the specific video signal described in the working steps of the first output control unit; the first division control unit is used to wait for a certain period of time , within this waiting time, if a special-label USB Hub display box recognizes the video input signal, the graphics card is divided into the corresponding expansion workstation of the special-label USB Hub display box; the signal control unit is used to repeat the above-mentioned The second output control unit and the working steps of the division control unit, until all graphics cards have output the specific video signal described in step 5a); the second division control unit is used to assign the graphics cards that are not assigned to The original workstation.

The device configuration module further includes: an initialization unit, configured to make all display cards connected to the host computer display the same user interface.

Further, when there are a plurality of said special-mark USB Hub boxes in the system, the characteristic signs of each special-mark USB Hub box are different.

The special standard USB Hub box has a system-recognizable feature mark, and adopts the following units to obtain: the first acquisition unit is used to read the original default feature mark stored in the USB Hub chip to identify; or the second acquisition unit, used to read the feature flag stored in the external ROM of the USB Hub main chip to identify; or the third acquisition unit, used to read the feature flag stored in the USB device connected to the USB Hub to identify; or the fourth acquisition unit , which is used to read the serial number of the host USB interface connected to the USB Hub box to identify it.

The "original default feature flag" read by the first acquisition unit is one of the VID, PID or product serial number of the USB Hub, and the "characteristic flag stored in the USB device connected to the USB Hub" is One of the VID, PID, and product serial number of the USB device.

The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. In Embodiment 1, the computer system as shown in FIG. 1 includes a host computer 100, two graphics cards (not shown in the figure) are installed in the host computer 100, and one of the graphics cards is connected to the A monitor 102 and another graphics card are connected to a TV 103 through a video output line 104 .

A USB Hub 105 is connected with the computer host 100 through a USB connection line 106, and another USB Hub 111 is connected with the computer host 100 through another USB connection line 116; a USB mouse 114 and a USB remote controller are connected to the USB Hub 105, as shown in Fig. The receiving terminal 112 and the remote controller transmitter 113 of the remote controller are listed in ; a USB mouse 115 is connected to the USB Hub111.

Among them, the VID information stored in the main chip of USB Hub105 is "JYD". The VID information stored in the main chip of USB Hub111 is not "JYD".

In addition, the host computer 100 is directly connected with a PS/2 keyboard 107 , a PS/2 mouse 108 , a USB mouse 109 , and a USB keyboard 110 .

In order to configure the computer system in Figure 1 as a "one machine with multiple workstations" system, this program installs a set of "one machine with multiple workstations" software in the computer, which includes 4 modules and two shared parameters, as shown in Figure 2 As shown, the four modules are: "one machine with multiple workstations" configuration module 200 , single-user operation management module 201 , multi-workstation operation support module 202 , and working state switching module 203 . The two common parameters are: working state parameter 204 and basic configuration parameter table 205 .

Wherein the "one machine with multiple workstations" configuration module 200 includes a "special standard USB Hub authentication parameter" 207, which is used to determine whether the USB Hub connected to the host computer is the special standard USB Hub. In this solution, the value of the "Special USB Hub Authentication Parameter" is "JYD".

Wherein the working status parameter 204 is used to represent the working status, generally exists on the hard disk in the host computer, and takes a value of 0 or 1, which respectively represent the single-user status and the multi-workstation status;

The basic configuration parameter table 205 therein is generally stored on the hard disk in the host computer, and is used to represent workstation configuration information, including information on the graphics card corresponding to each workstation and the special USB Hub corresponding to each extended workstation. In this solution, The basic configuration parameter table is in the form of a linked list, specifically as shown in Figure 3, the head of the linked list represents the original workstation, and each time an extended workstation is added, a table node is added to represent it, wherein the table node 300 represents the configuration information of the extended workstation 1.

Please refer to Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 together, after having installed described " one machine multi-workstation " software, run wherein " one machine multi-workstation " configuration module 200, software will carry out following configuration method, and step is:

1. Make all the graphics cards installed in the host computer output the same user interface (step 400), the execution result of this step is that the same user interface will be displayed in the current display 102 and the television set 103;

2. Identify all the special-label USB Hubs connected to the host computer (step 401), specifically: read the VID information of all USB Hubs connected to the computer host computer, if the VID information of a certain USB Hub is consistent with the "special-label USB Hub authentication If the values of parameter "207 are the same, the USB Hub is a special-label USB Hub; otherwise, the USB Hub is a non-special-label USB Hub. The execution result of this step is: USB Hub 105 is identified as a special-label USB Hub, and USB Hub 111 is identified as a non-special-label USB Hub.

3. Make each special mark USB Hub correspond to an expansion workstation (step 402), specifically: for each special mark USB Hub, add an expansion work station in the basic configuration parameter table 205, and the equipment of this special mark USB Hub The name is recorded in the extended workstation; the execution result of this step is: the extended workstation 1 (300 in Fig. 3) has been added in the basic configuration parameter table 205, and the device name of the special mark USB Hub105 is recorded in the extended workstation 1.

4. Make the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card respectively (step 403), the specific logic is shown in Figure 5, the execution result of this step is:

a) A prompt window pops up in the display 102, prompting the user to input an action through an input device paired with the display 102, assuming that the user presses any button of the PS/2 mouse, the prompt window in the display 102 disappears;

b) A prompt window pops up in the TV to prompt the user to input an action through an input device paired with the TV 103. At this time, suppose the user presses any button of the USB mouse 114, and the prompt window in the TV 103 disappears ;

c) Record the device name of the graphics card connected to the display 102 to the "device name of the graphics card corresponding to the original workstation" in the basic configuration parameter table 205, and record the device name of the graphics card connected to the TV set 103 into the basic configuration parameter table "The graphics card device name corresponding to the expansion workstation 1" in 205 .

5. Working state is set (step 404), specifically: the working state parameter 204 is set to 1, indicating the multi-workstation state;

So far, the "one machine with multiple workstations" configuration module has finished running, and the configuration results are recorded in the basic configuration parameter table 205. When the multi-workstation operation support module 202 is started and executed, the system will perform step 405, and will connect to each special USB Hub The human-computer interaction devices are assigned to the extended workstations corresponding to each special USB Hub; other human-computer interaction devices are assigned to the original workstations.

The specific execution logic of step 405 is shown in Figure 6. A parameter 206 of "Human-computer interaction equipment table for each workstation" is dynamically generated and maintained, which records the human-computer interaction between the original workstation and each extended workstation that is currently active. Equipment List. The so-called extended workstation is active, which means that the special standard USB Hub corresponding to the extended workstation can be recognized by the system.

The structure of the parameters of the "table of human-computer interaction equipment for each workstation" 206 is shown in FIG. 7 . When the mouse 114 is disconnected from the host computer, the item "device name of the mouse 114" is deleted from the parameter, and the processing of other devices can be analogized.

After the multi-workstation operation support module 202 is executed, according to the basic configuration parameter table 205 and the "each workstation human-computer interaction equipment table" parameter 206, the computer enters the multi-workstation operation state. In the multi-workstation running state, the computer system in this embodiment will be divided into an original workstation and an extended workstation as shown in FIG. 8 . The two workstations operate independently and can be used independently by two users.

As shown in Figure 2, the "one machine with multiple workstations" software described in Embodiment 1 includes a single-user operation management module 201 and a working state switching module 203;

Wherein the working state switching module 203 allows the user to change the value of the working state parameter 204 through a shortcut operation mode, thereby changing the current working state; when the value of the working state parameter 204 is equal to 0, then execute the single user operation management module 201 and stop the multi-workstation Run the support module 202 . When executing the single-user operation management module 201, the computer will no longer be divided into workstations. When the value of the working status parameter 204 is equal to 1, the multi-workstation running support module 202 is executed and the single-user running management module 201 is stopped.

Another preferred embodiment 2, as shown in Figure 9, in this scheme, a kind of special mark USB Hub display box 802 is connected on the host computer, and this special mark USB Hub display box 802 is integrated with special mark USB Hub803, simultaneously , the specific video signal output by the graphics card is transmitted to the display terminal device through the box (wherein 800 is a video signal line), and a video signal feedback module 801 is provided in the box. When a specific video signal passes through, the video signal feedback module 801 The event will be obtained, and the event will be fed back to the host computer through the special USB Hub803.

After adopting this scheme, step 4 in the above scheme "make the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card", which can be changed to the following method (not shown):

a) Make only one graphics card output a specific video signal;

b) Wait for a certain period of time. During this time, the one-machine multi-workstation configuration module 200 of the "one machine multi-workstation" software running in the host computer continuously detects whether there is a special USB Hub display box 802. Feedback "this USB hub" to the host computer The Hub display box has received a specific video signal from the graphics card" event;

During this waiting period, if the one-machine multi-workstation configuration module 200 detects that a certain special mark USB Hub display box 802 sends the described feedback event to the computer, then:

Find the device name of the special mark USB Hub from the basic configuration parameter table 205, thereby find the extension workstation where the device name is; the device name of the graphics card in the step a) is recorded in the extension workstation.

c) Repeat steps a), b) until all graphics cards have output a specific video signal;

d) Unassigned graphics cards are assigned to the original workstation. Its device name is recorded in the "Device Name of the Graphics Card Corresponding to the Original Workstation".

The step a) can also be "only make one graphics card output ordinary video signal" or "only make one graphics card not output video signal", as long as it is ensured that the output of this graphics card is different from other graphics cards in the host in step a), and In step b), the one-machine multi-workstation configuration module 200 can obtain the timely feedback on the output of the graphics card from the special-standard USB Hub display box.

There is also an embodiment 3, which simplifies the foregoing embodiments, and the steps in the embodiment "identify all the special-label USB Hubs connected to the host" and the steps "make each special-label USB Hub correspond to an extended workstation" Respectively modify to "identify all USB Hubs connected to the host" and "make each USB Hub correspond to an extended workstation", specifically: do not authenticate the USB Hub, and for each USB Hub connected to the host, in An expansion workstation is added in the basic configuration parameter table 205, and the device name of the USB Hub is recorded in the expansion workstation;

When the computer system is a "one machine with two workstations" system, including an original workstation and an extended workstation, the present invention also discloses another preferred embodiment 4, and its "one machine with multiple workstations" software is compared to the embodiment 1 There is an additional graphics card configuration switching module 208, as shown in Figure 10, this module defines a group of graphics card switching shortcut buttons, according to the software logic shown in Figure 11, when the graphics card switching shortcut button is pressed, the basic configuration The device names of the graphics cards corresponding to the two workstations in the parameter table 205 are exchanged, and the multi-workstation operation support module 202 will operate according to the new basic configuration parameter table 205 .

The present invention also discloses a fifth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, in this embodiment, the working state switching module 203 not only allows the user to change the working state parameter 204 through the shortcut operation mode, but also allows the user to change the basic By configuring the values of each parameter in the parameter table 205 , the multi-workstation operation support module 202 will operate according to the new basic configuration parameter table 205 .

Although the computer system in the above embodiments of the present invention has only one original workstation and one extended workstation, a system with multiple extended workstations can also be implemented, which obviously also falls within the protection scope of the present invention.

The present invention also provides a workstation card, as shown in Figure 13, the workstation card 900 has an insert 907, which can be inserted into the slot of the motherboard in the computer host, and has a video output interface 901 and a USB interface 902. The card 905 has a PS/2 interface 904 . 906 in the figure is the screw hole of the video output interface. The workstation card can be formed by integrating interfaces of other human-computer interaction devices on a graphics card.

Embodiment 6 of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system using this workstation card is shown in Figure 14. All human-computer interaction devices connected to the same workstation card are automatically configured as an extended workstation, The human-computer interaction device on the card is automatically configured as the original workstation.

For Embodiment 2 and Embodiment 6, the workstation configuration process can be completely completed by the "one machine with multiple workstations" software, so when implementing, the configuration module 200 of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software does not need to run separately, as shown in Figure 15 As shown, after installing the "one machine, multiple machines, multiple workstations" software, you can directly start the multi-workstation operation support module 202, and run the one-machine, multiple workstations configuration module 200 in the process of running the module 202 to realize the configuration of the workstations. Embodiment 6, the specific steps of this configuration process are:

1) All workstation cards in the system are identified. Make each workstation card correspond to an expansion workstation.

II) The human-computer interaction device connected to the workstation card and the graphics card integrated in the workstation are configured to the expansion workstation corresponding to the workstation card; other human-computer interaction devices and graphics cards are allocated to the original workstation.

Although the present invention has been described in detail and examples have been cited, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various alternatives, modifications and changes can be made according to the above description, therefore, all these alternatives, amendments and All modifications should be included within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Claims (14)

1. The equipment configuration method of "one machine multi-workstation" computer system, described system comprises a host computer, a plurality of display cards are installed in the host computer, host computer connects at least one special mark USB Hub, and described special mark USB Hub refers to belt Computer-recognizable feature mark, and USB Hub that can pass through authentication, this method carries out the configuration of one machine multi-workstation by described system, it is characterized in that this method comprises the steps: (1) Identify all special USB Hubs connected to the host; Make each special USB Hub correspond to an expansion workstation; Make the original workstation and each expansion workstation correspond to a graphics card; The step of "making the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card" includes the following sub-steps: a) Only pop up a prompt window on the display terminal device connected to a graphics card, prompting the user to input an action through an input device of the workstation paired with the display terminal; b) Waiting for a certain period of time; within this waiting period, if an action from an input device is recognized, the graphics card connected to the display terminal device is assigned to the workstation to which the input device from which the input action comes belongs; c) Repeat steps a), b) until all display cards have popped up the prompt window described in step a); (2) The human-computer interaction devices connected to each special-label USB Hub are allocated to the corresponding expansion workstations of each special-label USB Hub; Other human-computer interaction equipment is assigned to the original workstation. 2. the equipment configuration method of " one machine multi-workstation " computer system as claimed in claim 1, is characterized in that: described human-computer interaction equipment is keyboard, mouse, remote receiver, joystick, sound card, loudspeaker, One of a microphone, a camera, or a combination. 3. The device configuration method of "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: the step of "making each special USB Hub correspond to an extended workstation" is specifically: setting The number of extended workstations in the system is determined as the number of identified special-label USB Hubs, so that the extended workstations correspond to the special-label USB Hubs one-to-one. 4. The device configuration method of "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: the step of "making the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card respectively" includes the following steps: step: 4a) Lead the video output of the host graphics card to the special-label USB Hub, and set a signal detection device on the periphery of the special-label USB Hub. This device is used to identify whether the graphics card outputs a specific video signal; 4b) only make one graphics card output the specific video signal described in step 4a); 4c) Wait for a certain period of time; within this waiting period, if a special-label USB Hub display box recognizes the video input signal, the graphics card is divided into the corresponding expansion workstation of the special-label USB Hub display box; 4d) Repeat steps 4b), 4c) until all graphics cards have output the specific video signal described in step 4a); 4e) Unassigned graphics cards are assigned to the original workstation. 5. The device configuration method of "one machine multi-workstation" computer system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, is characterized in that: before the step (1) of described configuration method, also comprises step (0) as follows: All connected graphics cards display the same user interface. 6. The device configuration method of "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: when there are a plurality of special mark USB Hub boxes in the system, the characteristic mark of each special mark USB Hub box Each is different, and the above-mentioned special-label USB Hub box refers to a device with a special-label USB Hub built in. 7. The device configuration module of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system, the system includes a host, a plurality of graphics cards are installed in the host, the host is connected to at least one special USB Hub, and the special USB Hub refers to a A computer-recognizable feature mark and a certified USB Hub, characterized in that: the device configuration module includes: The identification unit is used to identify all the special USB Hubs connected to the host; The first control unit is used to make each special standard USB Hub correspond to an expansion workstation; The second control unit is used to make the original workstation and each expansion workstation correspond to a graphics card; The first allocation unit is used to distribute the human-computer interaction equipment connected to each special USB Hub to the expansion workstation corresponding to each special USB Hub; The second allocation unit is used to allocate other human-computer interaction equipment to the original workstation; In addition, the second control unit includes: The action prompt unit is used to pop up a prompt window only on the display terminal device connected to a graphics card, prompting the user to input an action through an input device of the workstation paired with the display terminal; The dividing control unit is used to wait for a certain period of time. During this waiting period, if an action from an input device is recognized, the graphics card connected to the display terminal device is divided into the workstation to which the input device from which the input action comes belongs; The window control unit is used to repeat the working steps of the action prompting unit and the division control unit until all display cards have popped up the prompt windows described in the working steps of the action prompting unit. 8. the equipment configuration module of " one machine multi-workstation " computer system as claimed in claim 7, is characterized in that: described human-computer interaction equipment is keyboard, mouse, remote receiver, joystick, sound card, loudspeaker, One of a microphone, a camera, or a combination. 9. The device configuration module of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system as claimed in claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: the first control unit includes: a quantity setting unit, which is used to set the expansion workstations in the system The number of is the number of identified special-standard USB Hubs, so that the expansion workstations correspond to the special-standard USB Hubs one-to-one. 10. The device configuration module of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system as claimed in claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: the second control unit comprises the following units: The first output control unit is used to lead the video output of the host graphics card to the special-label USB Hub, and a signal detection device is arranged on the periphery of the special-label USB Hub. This device is used to identify whether the graphics card outputs a specific video signal; The second output control unit is used to make only one graphics card output the specific video signal described in the working steps of the first output control unit; The first division control unit is used to wait for a certain period of time. During this waiting time, if a special-label USB Hub display box recognizes the video input signal, the graphics card is divided into the extension corresponding to the special-label USB Hub display box. workstation; The signal control unit is used to repeat the working steps of the second output control unit and the first partition control unit until all the graphics cards have output the specific signal described in the working steps of the first output control unit. video signal; The second allocation control unit is used for allocating the unallocated graphics card to the original workstation. 11. The device configuration module of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system as claimed in claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: the device configuration module also includes: an initialization unit, which is used to make all display cards connected on the host computer Both display the same user interface. 12. The device configuration module of "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system as claimed in claim 7 or 8, is characterized in that: described configuration module comprises special mark USB Hub box, and described special mark USB Hub box, then Refers to the device with a built-in special USB Hub. When there are multiple special USB Hub boxes in the system, the characteristic marks of each special USB Hub box are different. The special USB Hub box refers to the built-in USB Hub box. A device that is specifically marked as a USB Hub. 13. the device configuration module of " one machine multi-workstation " computer system as claimed in claim 12, is characterized in that: described special mark USB Hub box has the feature sign that system can recognize, and adopts following unit to obtain: The first acquisition unit is used to read the original default feature flag stored in the USB Hub chip for identification; or The second acquisition unit is used to read the characteristic flag stored in the external ROM of the USB Hub main chip to identify; or The third acquisition unit is used to read the characteristic flag stored in the USB device connected to the USB Hub to identify; or The fourth acquisition unit is used to read the number of the host USB interface connected to the USB Hub box for identification. 14. the equipment configuration module of " one machine multi-workstation " computer system as claimed in claim 13, it is characterized in that: " the original acquiescence feature mark " that described first acquisition unit reads is the VID of USB Hub, One of the PID or product serial number, the "characteristic flag stored in the USB device connected to the USB Hub" is one of the VID, PID, and product serial number of the USB device.

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