Abstract:
A method of fast switching control for different operation systems operated in computer is provided, including installing a first operating system, a second operating system and a second operating system kernel program in a hard disk of the computer. An event signal generation unit is connected to the computer. When the computer completes the booting process, the first operating system is loaded and executed, the second operating system kernel program memory region is established in a system memory, and the second operating system kernel program is loaded into the second operating system kernel program memory region. When the computer detects that a preset event signal is generated from the event signal generation unit, the second operation system kernel program preloaded in the second operating system kernel program memory region is executed, so that the computer is switched from executing the first operation system to executing the second operation system.

Description:
This application is a reissue application of U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,041 B2. This application claims priority to Taiwanese patent application no. 94130760, filed Sep. 7, 2005. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a control method for computer devices operated with multiple operation systems and, more particularly, to a fast switching control method for different operation systems operated within computers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The conventional method in computer technology is to install an operating system (OS) in a computer so that when the computer is booted, the OS, the device drivers, and the specified applications in a hard disk of the computer will be loaded and executed after the basic booting process. 
     As the computer becomes more powerful, the application fields become wider and wider, and different functions of computers are also developed by many computer manufacturers to meet the particle demands. For example, a typical application is to use a computer in conjunction with a multimedia player or a household appliance to become a well-performed computer system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     However, because the hardware structure and the functions are different between the computer and the multimedia player or household appliances, it is difficult for a computer system integrated with a multimedia player or appliances to be booted in a speed as fast as turning on-off switch of household appliances. Although the industrial suppliers have provided different operating systems for normal computer operation mode and multimedia mode operations, the computer system still needs to read the operating system from the hard disk at the beginning of the booting process before operating in the multimedia mode. That is, the user must boot the computer and wait for the computer to complete the basic input operation system (BIOS) activation, power on self test (POST), peripheral detection and driving, operation system activation, system configuration, and so on, and then execute the multimedia playing. 
     Traditionally, in order to speed up booting time of a personal computer, a second operation system is additionally installed in another partition of the original hard disk, so as to that it can provide the function of multimedia players or intelligent appliances and shortening booting time of the personal computer. 
     However, when the above method is adopted, it provides the choices to the user between executing the normal functions of computers and executing the functions multimedia player or intelligent appliances, but when the computer system begins to execute operation system and save data in hard disk, the speed of data saving will be limited seriously. 
     The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a method of fast switching control for different operation system being applicable to the computer. Through the present invention, the switching between more than two different operations systems installed in a computer can be speeded up effectively. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method of fast switching control for multiple operation systems being applicable to the computer. In the present invention, a second operation system kernel program memory region is arranged in the system memory, and the second operation system kernel program is loaded into the second operation system kernel program memory region. Through the operation of the second operation system kernel program memory region, the computer can operate fast when it is switched to the second operation system. 
     To realize the above objects, the present invention at least installs a first operation system, a second operation system and the second operation system kernel program in the hard disk of the computer. The hard disk is divided into a first partition and a second partition, with the first partition installs with the first operating system, and the second partition installs with the second operating system and the second operation system kernel program. When the computer completes the booting process with the first operation system, a second operation system kernel program memory region is established in the system memory, and the second operation system kernel program is loaded into the memory region. When the computer detects an event signal generated from the event generation unit, the second operation system kernel program preloaded from the second operation system kernel program memory region is executed, so that the computer is switched from executing the first operation system to executing the second operation system. The first operation system is windows operation system, and the second operation system is embedded operation system. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention as above description, the operation sequence of the computer after booting process is loading and executing the first operation system, detecting the event signal, loading and executing the second operation system, and switching back to executing the first operation system. In actual applications, the operation sequence of the computer after booting process also may be loading and executing the second system, detecting the event signal, executing the second operation system, and switching back to the first operation system. 
     In comparison with the conventional technologies, the present invention allows the computer installs with two or more operation systems at meanwhile. When a user needs to conduct specified function, the computer can be switched from executing the first operation system to executing the second operation system through second operation system kernel program loaded from the second operation system kernel program memory region arranged in the system memory of computer. In actual applications, if the computer is integrated with an intelligent appliance (IA) or a multimedia playing function, the switching between the operations systems also achieves the switching between the functions of multimedia playing and intelligent appliance. 
     These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, from a reading of the following brief description of the drawings, the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, and the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention can be understood in more detail by reading the subsequent detailed description in conjunction with the examples and references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a system functional block diagram in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is the first part of the control flowchart of a first embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is the second part of the control flowchart of the first embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is the first part of the control flowchart of a second embodiment; and 
         FIG. 5  is the second part of the control flowchart of the second embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the drawings and in particular to  FIG. 1 , which shows a system functional block diagram of a first embodiment in accordance with the present invention, a computer  100  comprises a central processing unit (CPU)  11 , a first bus bridge  12 , and a second bus bridge  13 . The central processing unit  11  is connected to the first bus bridge  12  through a system bus. The first bus bridge  12  is connected to a system memory  14  and is connected to a display  15  through a display interface  150 . 
     The second bus bridge  13  is connected to a BIOS memory  16 . The BIOS memory  16  stores a BIOS program  161  and a power on self test (POST) program  162 , both required for booting the computer. 
     The second bus bridge  13  is connected to a hard disk interface  170  through a bus. The hard disk interface  170  is connected to a hard disk  17 . The hard disk  17  serves as a data storage for the computer  100 . The hard disk  17  is divided into a first partition  171  and a second partition  172 . The first partition  171  is installed with a first operating system  171 a. The operating system  171 a can be a known Windows operating system. When the computer  100  is booted with the first operating system  171 a, the computer  100  operates under the first operating system  171 a. The first partition  171  is also installed with various device drivers  171 b and applications  171 c required for the computer  100  to operate. 
     The second partition  172  of the hard disk  17  stores a second operating system  172 a and a second operating system kernel program  172 b. The second operating system  172 a can be a Linux-based operating system or other types of operating systems, such as Tiny Windows-based operating system or embedded operating system. 
     The second partition  172  also stores multimedia drivers  172 c and applications  172 d operating under the second operating system  172 a. In actual applications, the multimedia drivers  172 c and the applications  172 d include drivers and applications for CD, digital music device, VCD, TV signal receiver, and so on. 
     The second bus bridge  13  of the computer  100  is connected to a keyboard controller  2  through a bus  130 . The keyboard controller  2  is connected to a keyboard BIOS  21 , a keyboard  22 , and a mouse  23 . 
     The keyboard controller  2  is connected to an event signal generation unit  24 . The event signal generation unit  24  comprises at least a button or an element capable of generating an operation signal. Under the user&#39;s operation, the event signal generation unit  24  generates a first event signal s 1  of multimedia playing mode to the keyboard controller  2 , and a second event signal s 2  of normal computer operation mode to the keyboard controller  2 . The first and second event signals s 1  and s 2  can also be generated by pressing a pre-defined key of the keyboard  22 . 
     In actual applications, the event signal generation unit  24  can be defined as a control key for fast activating a default multimedia player. The event signal generation unit  24  can be installed on the panel of the corresponding multimedia player, a button on the computer, or a button on a remote control. 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  show a control flowchart of the embodiment in  FIG. 1 . The following detail description refers to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 . 
     When the computer  100  is powered on (step  101 ), the computer  100  enters a series of basic system booting procedures (step  102 ). That is, the computer  100  loads and executes the BIOS program  161  and the POST program  162  from the BIOS memory  16 . Then, the computer  100  loads and executes the first operating system  171 a of the first partition  171  of the hard disk  17  (step  103 ), and then the computer  100  enters a normal computer operation mode (step  104 ). 
     After loading and executing the first operating system  171 a, the computer  100  establishes a second operating system kernel program memory region  141  in the system memory  14  (step  105 ), and loads the second operating system kernel program  172 b from the second partition  172  of the hard disk  17  to the second operating system kernel program memory region  141  (step  106 ) with a protected mode to reside the second operating system kernel program  172 b in the system memory  14 . The second operating system kernel program  172 b can be stored in a compressed format to save the space required in the second operating system kernel program memory region  141 . 
     When the computer is operated in the normal operation mode, it can detect whether the first event signal s 1  is generated (step  107 ). That is, when the user presses the event signal generation unit  24  or a pre-defined hot key of the keyboard  22 , the first event signal s 1  is detected by the keyboard controller  2  and sent to the central processing unit  11  of the computer  100  (step  108 ). 
     When the central processing unit  11  receives the first event signal s 1 , the second operation system kernel program  172 b preloaded in the second operation system kernel program memory region  141  is executed (step  109 ), and switches the computer  100  to executing the second operation system  172 a (step  110 ) from executing the first operation system  171 a. After that, the operation mode of the computer is switched from the first operation system  171 a to the second operation system  172 a (step  111 ). Thus, the user can switch the computer  100  to execute the second operation system  172 a when he in need, and progressively achieves the object and efficiency of fast switching. 
     After completing the step of switching the computer  100  from executing the first operation system  171 a to executing the second operation system  172 a, the computer  100  can load and execute the multimedia driver  172 c and application  172 d in necessary for the second operation system  172 a (step  112 ). 
     If the second event signal s 2  is detected (step  113 ) after operating the computer  100  in the second operation system  172 a, the computer stops executing the second operation system kernel program  172 b, and stops executing the multimedia driver  172 c and the application  172 d operated under the second operation system  172 a (step  114 ). Then the first operation system  171 a is awaked to make the computer  100  going back to the normal operation mode (step  115 ). Thus, the computer  100  can fast switching back to the first operation system  171 a without rebooting the first operation system  171 a. 
     In actual application, the second operation system  172 a is designed for controlling the executing of the household appliance and multimedia playing device, such as CD player, digital music device, VCD, TV signal receiver, etc. Except for that the user can choose operating the computer  100  in the normal operation mode, the user also can fast switch the computer between executing the functions of multimedia playing devices and household appliances. 
     In the first embodiment of the present invention as above description, the operation sequence of the computer  100  after booting process is loading and executing the first operation system  17 a, detecting the event signals, loading and executing the second operation system  172 a, and switching back to executing the first operation system  171 a. In actual applications, the operation sequence of the computer after booting process also may be loading and executing the second system  172 a, detecting the event signals, executing the second operation system  172 a, and switching back to the first operation system  171 a. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , those shows a system functional block diagram of a second embodiment in accordance with the present invention. When the computer  100  is powered on (step  201 ), the computer  100  enters the basic system booting steps (step  202 ). Meanwhile, the computer  100  loads and executes the BIOS program  161  and the POST program  162  from the basic input output system memory  16 . Then, the computer  100  loads and executes the second operating system  172 a of the first partition  172  of the hard disk  17  (step  203 ). 
     After loading and executing the second operating system  172 a, the computer  100  establishes a second operating system kernel program memory region  141  in the system memory  14  (step  204 ), and loads the second operating system kernel program  172 b from the second partition  172  of the hard disk  17  to the second operating system kernel program memory region  141  (step  205 ) with a protected mode to reside in the system memory  14 . 
     When the computer  100  operates under the second operation system  172 a, whether the first event signal s 1  is generated is detected (step  206 ), i.e., when the user presses the event signal generation unit  24  or a pre-defined key of the keyboard  22 , the first event signal s 1  is detected by the keyboard controller  2  and sent to the central processing unit  11  of the computer  100  (step  207 ). 
     When the central processing unit  11  receives the first event signal s 1 , the second operation system kernel program  172 b preloaded in the second operation system kernel program memory region  141  is executed (step  208 ). 
     After completing above steps, the computer  100  can load and execute the multimedia driver  172 c and the application  172 d in necessary for the second operation system  172 a (step  209 ). 
     If the second event signal s 2  is detected when the computer  100  operates under the second operation system  172 a (step  210 ), the computer  100  stops executing the second operation system  172 a (step  211 ). That is, the computer  100  stops executing the second operation system kernel program  172 b, and stops executing the multimedia driver  172 c and the application  172 d operated under the second operation system  172 a. 
     Then, the computer  100  loads and executes the first operation system  171 a of the first partition  171  of the hard disk  17  (step  212 ), so that the computer  100  can enter the first operation system. According to above description, the computer  100  also can be switched to execute any operation system between different operation systems. 
     While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangement included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.