Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Byung-Lae Lee

Moon-kyou Kim

Hyung-Jun Kim

Houk Wang

A portable computer includes: a central processing unit; a connection chipset connected to the central processing unit and internally provided with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) controller, the connection chipset also having a plurality of ports allowing peripheral devices to be connected to the connection chipset; a Universal Serial Bus hub coupled to the connection chipset, the Universal Serial Bus hub having a plurality of connection ports allowing a plurality of devices to be connected to the Universal Serial Bus hub; and a switching circuit connected between the Universal Serial Bus hub and the Universal Serial Bus controller, the switching circuit serving to transmit an output signal from the Universal Serial Bus controller to the Universal Serial Bus hub when at least one of the devices connected to the Universal Serial Bus hub is driven. A control method for the portable computer provides a control function for allowing or cutting off the transmission of the output signal from the Universal Serial Bus controller to the Universal Serial Bus hub in accordance with whether or not at least one of the devices connected to the Universal Serial Bus hub is driven. In accordance with this configuration, the central processing unit can be maintained in a C-state insofar as the Universal Serial Bus hub is mounted in a fashion meeting the ACPI specification. Therefore, it is possible to achieve a reduction in power consumption.

Portable computer system and control method for reducing power consumption therein

A portable computer includes a main body equipped with a main board with a CPU, and a power supply supplying electric power to the main board, the portable computer further including a wireless communicating part including an RF transmitting and receiving part provided at the main body, electrically connected to the main board, and wirelessly transmitting and receiving predetermined data using an RF signal, and an AD converter converting an analog signal received through the RF transmitting and receiving part into a digital signal and transmitting the digital signal to the CPU, and converting a digital signal from the CPU into an analog signal and transmitting the analog signal through the RF transmitting and receiving part. The portable computer further includes a connector electrically connected to the power supply and delivering electric power from the power supply to the wireless communicating part, a wireless modem software program operating the wireless communicating part, and a control part controlling the connector to deliver electric power from the power supply to the wireless communicating part so as to operate the wireless communicating part when the wireless modem software program is executed in order to operate the wireless communicating part. Accordingly, the portable computer is capable of wireless data communication without an extra peripheral unit.

Portable computer

A computer system equipped with a LAN signal processing part and a modem signal processing part comprises: a common connector to which an external LAN connector to be connected to the LAN signal processing part and an external modem connector to be connected to the modem signal processing part are selectively connected; a connector detector provided at the common connector for detecting which of the external LAN connector and the external modem connector is connected to the common connector; and a control part for controlling a predetermined signal to be transmitted to one of the LAN signal processing part and the modem signal processing part in correspondence to the external connector detected by the connector detector. With this configuration, the cost of production decreases, and space for an installation of hardware components is more plentiful.

Computer and data communication control method thereof

An apparatus and method for controlling power management enable a computer system to have minimum power consumption during a rest mode. The power management system in the computer system allows the contents of the main memory to be maintained when the system proceeds to the rest mode. The apparatus includes a microcontroller which receives a first operating voltage from the power supply and controls power distribution based on the power management program stored in a BIOS ROM. The microcontroller generates a control signal when the system proceeds to the rest mode. Further included are: a main memory receiving a second operating voltage from the power supply and having a self-refresh function in the rest mode; a memory controller receiving a third operating voltage from the power supply and generating memory control signals supplied to the main memory; and a buffer receiving a second operating voltage from the power supply and located between the main memory and the memory controller for interrupting memory control signal lines in response to a control signal generated by the microcontroller. The microcontroller interrupts the third operating voltage when the buffer is inactivated by the control signal from the microcontroller.

Growing community of inventors

Suwon, South Korea

Byung-Lae Lee