Abstract:
A computer system including an adapter, a computer main body, and a connector connecting the adapter and the computer main body. The adapter includes a source power connector supplying an input power, a power converter converting the input power into an output power, an output power connector outputting the output power to a computer main body, a plurality of ports to which an external device is connected, and a controller receiving the output power from the power converter and controlling a signal inputted/outputted to the port. Aspects of the present invention provide a computer system including an adapter having a hub communicating with an external device without a battery discharge, and a plurality of ports.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2003-45442, filed Jul. 4, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a computer system, and more particularly, a computer system having an adapter operating as a hub.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Conventional adapters include an AC (Alternating Current)/DC (Direct Current) adapter, a DC/DC adapter, and the like, the use of which depending on desired a power input/output format. The AC/DC adapter, converting AC power supplied to a home into DC power, is commonly used.  
         [0006]      FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional AC/DC adapter. The AC/DC adapter  100  includes a plug  101  receiving AC power, a connector  102  outputting DC power, and an AC/DC converter (not shown) inside the adaptor.  
         [0007]     A portable computer is operated by the power provided by such an AC/DC adapter  100  or by a charged battery (not shown). Recently, the portable computer also includes a separable docking station, and a port on a main body of the computer for a removable CD-ROM driver, FDD, and the like, for convenient portability.  
         [0008]     A battery used by the portable computer is easily discharged when a serial communication port, such as an IEEE 1394 serial port with a 6-pin connector, is connected to the port for supplying power to external peripheral devices connected to the portable computer. Since in a conventional system an IEEE 1394 serial port with a 4-pin connector cannot supply power to external peripheral devices connected to the portable computer, a user is inconvenienced in the use of the external devices.  
         [0009]     The conventional portable computer has a limited number i.e., one or two IEEE 1394 ports and each having 4-pins. Thus it is not easy to connect various external peripheral devices, such as a camcorder, a hard disk drive, and the like that use the IEEE 1394 standard, to the portable computer at the same time.  
         [0010]     A hub serves as a center of a network, and an IEEE 1394 hub connects independently IEEE 1394 devices. As used herein, an IEEE 1394 device refers to a device operated by an IEEE 1394 controller as a stand-alone device without a host computer. Such IEEE 1394 devices including system and external independent devices are connected to the IEEE 1394 hub.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a configuration of a conventional external hub. As shown therein, the external hub  200  includes a controller  201 , a port  202 , and a power supplying part  203 .  
         [0012]     The controller  201  controls data communication and signal amplification. Various types of controllers are available depending on use. The port  202  is a terminal to which a connector of an external device is connected. The power supplying part  203  receives AC power from an external source and converts the received AC power into DC power, thereby supplying a predetermined power to the controller  201  and the port  202 .  
         [0013]     However, problems with the conventional external hub  200  include that an extra cable and an adapter are required to supply power.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a computer system comprising an adapter having a hub that communicates with an external device without a battery discharge, and having a plurality of ports.  
         [0015]     According to an aspect of the present invention a computer system is provided including an adapter, a computer main body, and a connector connecting the adapter and the computer main body. The adapter includes a source power connector supplying an input power, a power converter converting the input power into an output power, an output power connector outputting the output power to a computer main body, a plurality of ports to which an external device is connected, and a controller receiving the output power from the power converter and controlling a signal inputted/outputted to the port.  
         [0016]     According to an aspect of the invention, the connector includes a power line supplying the output power to the computer main body from the output power connector, and a data line communicating between the controller and the computer main body.  
         [0017]     According to an aspect of the invention, the power converter has a voltage dropper dropping voltage of the output power and supplying the dropped voltage to the controller.  
         [0018]     According to an aspect of the invention, the computer system includes a switch switching the output power supplied to the controller.  
         [0019]     According to an aspect of the invention, the switch switches the data line.  
         [0020]     According to an aspect of the invention, the controller and the port support standard IEEE 1394 serial communication.  
         [0021]     Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]     The above and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings of which:  
         [0023]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional AC/DC adapter;  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a conventional external hub;  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a computer system according to an embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an adapter according to the embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0027]     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.  
         [0028]      FIG. 3  is a configuration block diagram of a computer system according to an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0029]     As shown therein, the computer system  1  includes an adapter  10 , and a computer main body  60 . The adapter  10  includes a source power connector  20 , a power converter  30 , an output power connector  40 , and a hub  50 .  
         [0030]     The source power connector  20  receives AC power inputted to the adapter  10 .  
         [0031]     The power converter  30  converts the inputted AC power into a predetermined output DC power, and includes a primary rectifier  31 , a secondary rectifier  32 , a primary source power current controller  33 , and a secondary source power current controller  34 .  
         [0032]     The AC input power inputted through the source power connector  20  flows into the primary rectifier  31 . The limited size of the adapter  10  limits the size of a transformer. Therefore, a ripple is generated when DC power is output through the primary rectifier  31 . Such DC power is input to the secondary rectifier  32 , and rectified, rippleless DC power is output as an output power thereof. The primary source power current controller  33  checks voltage and current of the DC power rectified by the primary rectifier  31  and loaded to, and consumed by, the secondary rectifier  32 , and controls the voltage and current of the DC power, thereby regulating the secondary rectifier  32 . The secondary source power current controller  34  checks system loading and consumption of the output DC power and feeds back the checked result of the output to the primary source power current controller  33 .  
         [0033]     The output power connector  40  includes a connector supplying the DC power outputted from the secondary rectifier  32  of the power converter  30  to the system.  
         [0034]     The hub  50  includes a port  51 , a controller  52 , a voltage dropper  53 , and a switch  54 .  
         [0035]     The port  51  is a terminal connected to a connector of an external device. A 4-pin port and/or a 6-pin port is used if an IEEE 1394 standard serial communication method is applied. The 4-pin port has four lines transmitting data and controlling a signal, and the 6-pin port includes the four lines as in the 4-pin port and two additional lines respectively for grounding and power supply. The number of the ports  51  depends on the number of ports that the controller  52  supports.  
         [0036]     The controller  52  receives the output DC power from the power converter  30  and controls a signal input to, and output from, the port  51 . That is, the controller  52  controls a flow of the data and amplification of the signal. An aspect of the invention includes an IEEE 1394 controller  52  as the controller and configured to communicate.  
         [0037]     The voltage dropper  53  decreases a predetermined DC output voltage supplied to the system. According to an aspect of the present invention, the voltage is decreased to as low as 3.3 volts. The decreased voltage is supplied to the controller  52  and the 6-pin port.  
         [0038]     The switch  54  protects power consumption while the adapter  10  is not using the hub  50 . The user chooses whether to cut off power supply to the hub  50 . Also, the switch  54  switches data lines between the controller  52  of the hub  50  and the computer main body  60 . Such switching is implemented by software or hardware.  
         [0039]     The controller  52  and the port  51  allow IEEE 1394 serial communication. IEEE 1394 serial communication does not require a host computer, unlike USB (Universal Serial Bus) serial communication, thereby enabling direct data to be transmitted between the external devices. Thus, such an adapter  10  is used as a hub not only for portable computers, but also for other external devices.  
         [0040]     The computer main body  60  includes an external connector  62  and a computer controller  61 .  
         [0041]     The external connector  62  is connected to a connector of the adapter  10  supplying input power. The external connector has an input/output port and communicates data with the controller  52  in the hub  50  of the adapter  10  through a data line of the connector. The 6-pin port of the hub  50  transmits a predetermined power directly supplied from the adapter  10  to the external devices without having a discharge of the battery in the portable computer. Therefore, according to an aspect of the present invention, the external connector  62  has a 4-pin input/output port. The controller  61  controls the data communication.  
         [0042]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the adapter according to an aspect of the present invention. As shown therein, the adapter  10  includes a connector  63 , a 6-pin port  55 , a 4-pin port  56 , and a plug  21 .  
         [0043]     The connector  63  is connectable with the computer main body  60  and supplies the power from the adapter  10  to the computer main body  60 , and enables the controller  52  in the adapter  10  and the computer controller  61  in the computer main body  60  to communicate data with each other. The connector  63  includes a data line and a power line. The data line is implemented as an IEEE 1394 4-pin port since no extra power is supplied to the hub  50  from the computer main body  60 .  
         [0044]     A plug  21  receives power, and the 6-pin port  55  and the 4-pin port  56  are terminals respectively connectable to connectors of external devices.  
         [0045]     According to an aspect of the present invention, ports are provided on different sides of the adapter  10  decreasing the size of the adapter. The number of the ports depends on the controller  52  of the adapter  10 .  
         [0046]     After AC power is supplied to the source power connector  20  of the adapter  10 , DC output power is transmitted to the computer main body  60 , the IEEE 1394 controller  52  of the hub  50 , and the IEEE 1394 6-pin port. The hub  50  of the adapter  10  controls the data communication between the external devices connected to the port  51  and amplifies the signal.  
         [0047]     Other external devices connectable to the computer main body  60 , or other client computer forming a local network, are connected to the port  51 . Such external devices, or the client computer connected to the hub  50  through the port  51 , have an IEEE 1394 controller such as the controller  61 .  
         [0048]     The computer main body  60  is operated as the host computer for the external device connected to the adapter  10 . Alternatively, the connector  63  of the adapter is not connected to the computer main body  60 , or a connection of the data line is turned off by switching of the switch  54 . This separates the hub  50  in the adapter  10  and the computer main body  60  and the hub  50  is independently operable.  
         [0049]     If an external device is connected to the adapter  10  using the IEEE 1394 controller and the 6-pin port, power is supplied not from the computer main body  60  but is supplied from the output power of the power converter  30  in the adapter  10  to the external device. Thus, the battery discharge from the computer main body is decreased.  
         [0050]     A portable computer, especially a slim portable computer having a docking station with plural ports is synchronously connectable to external devices (DVD, CD-ROM, and the like) when the portable computer has the adapter  10 .  
         [0051]     Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.