Abstract:
A multi purpose switching circuit is provided. The multi purpose switching circuit is connected with a main unit ( 60 ) of an electronic apparatus and includes a multi purpose switch ( 10 ). The multi purpose switch is capable of receiving multiple manual operational inputs and accordingly producing multiple command signals. The multiple manual operational inputs are identified by a pushing time and a pushing count in a predetermined time of the multi purpose switch. The multiple command signals initiate the main unit to implement multiple functions such as starting up, shutting down and resetting itself. An electronic device including such a multi purpose switching circuit is also provided.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]    The present invention relates to switching circuits and electronic apparatuses including same, and particularly to a multi purpose switching circuit and an electronic apparatus including same. 
       RELATED ART  
       [0002]    An intelligent electronic apparatus is always made up by hardware and software. The hardware and software co-operate with each other to implement multiple functions. Among the multiple functions, excluding the functions that are triggered within the intelligent electronic apparatus, other functions, such as powering on, powering off, and resetting the intelligent electronic apparatus are triggered by manual operational inputs via input devices such as mechanical switches. 
         [0003]    With the development of electronics technology and the improvement in people&#39;s daily life, on one hand more and more functions have been equipped into the intelligent electronic apparatus, but on the other hand the intelligent electronic apparatuses, especially portable intelligent electronic apparatuses such as cell phones and MP3s are required to decrease volumes, in order to attract consumers. If each mechanical switch mounted on an intelligent electronic is still provided to triggered one or two functions and not to trigger three or more functions, the total mechanical switches required by the intelligent electronic apparatuses are still numerous and the intelligent electronic apparatus are hardly to meet the consumers&#39; requirements of decreased volumes. 
         [0004]    Therefore, there is a need for providing a multi purpose switching circuit and an electronic apparatus including same which can trigger multi functions with one mechanical switch. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    A multi purpose switching circuit is provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment. The multi purpose switching circuit is connected with a main unit of an electronic apparatus which is capable of implementing multi functions. The multi purpose switching circuit includes a multi purpose switch that is capable of receiving multiple manual operational inputs and accordingly producing multiple command signals, the multiple manual operational inputs being identified from each other by either a pushing time or a pushing count in a predetermined time length of the multi purpose switch and used to initiate the multiple functions of the main unit. 
         [0006]    An electronic device is also provided. The electronic device includes a main unit being capable of implementing multi functions; and a multi purpose switching circuit including a multi purpose switch connected with the main unit and being capable of receiving multiple manual operational inputs and accordingly producing multiple command signals. The multiple manual operational inputs are identified from each other by either a pushing time or a pushing count in a predetermined time of the multi purpose switch and used to initiate the multi functions of the main unit. 
         [0007]    Other advantages and novel features will be drawn from the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary block diagram of a multi purpose switching circuit in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  depicts a circuit diagram of the multi purpose switching circuit of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0010]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary block diagram of a multi purpose switching circuit in accordance with a preferred embodiment is shown. The multi purpose switching circuit can be incorporated in an electronic apparatus and connected with a main unit  60  of the electronic apparatus. The multi purpose switching circuit includes a multi purpose switch  10 . The multi purpose switch  10  is provided for receiving manual operational inputs and consequently producing command signals. 
         [0011]    In the preferred embodiment the multi purpose switch  10  is a self-returning switch  10  such as a self-returning slide switch  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . The self-returning slide switch  10  includes a first contact  10  and a second contact  120 . The first contact  110  is suspended and the second contact  120  is grounded. A third contact  100  of the self-returning slide switch  10  is connected to a node A that connects to a power unit  20 , a control unit  30 , a delay unit  50 , and the main unit  60 . The third contact  100  defines a first position with the first contact  110  and defines a second position with the second contact  110 . A self-returning actuator (not labeled) of the self-returning slide switch  10  rests at the first position when at rest (i.e., no external force (i.e., pushing force) is applied to), and is manually movable between the first position and the second position. In the preferred embodiment, depending on a time length that each time the self-returning actuator is pushed to stay at the second position (hereinafter simplified as “the pushing time)” and a count that the self-returning actuator is pushed to the second position in a predetermined time (hereinafter simplified as “the pushing count”), the self-returning slide switch  10  can receive multiple manual operational inputs and produce multiple command signals. 
         [0012]    The main unit  60  implements multiple functions corresponding to the multiple command signals of the self-returning slide switch  10 . Specifically, the main unit  60  implements a start up, a shut down, and a reset. The main unit  60  includes a plurality of input ports that includes a power port  61  and a reset port  62 . The power port  61  is connected to the node A and is used to obtain power from the power unit  20 . The power port  61  is also used to receive power on/off command signals from the self-returning slide switch  10 . A detecting module  64  of the main unit  60  detects and identifies the power on/off command signals received at the power port  61  and accordingly signals a power on/off module  65  of the main unit  60  to initiate a start up or a shut down of the main unit  60 . 
         [0013]    The reset port  62  is connected with the delay unit  50 . The delay unit  50  is connected to the power unit  20  via the switching unit  40  that is controllable to switch on or off by the control unit  30 . The switching circuit  40  is generally in a switch-on state and conducts power to the delay unit  50 , and is switched off by the control unit  30  upon receiving reset command signals from the self-returning slide switch  10 . The delay unit  50  discharges over time during the switch off of the switching unit  40  and finally generates reset signals to the reset port  62  of the main unit  60 . The reset signals are then transmitted to a reset module  63  of the main unit  60  and initiate the reset module  63  to reset the main unit  60 . 
         [0014]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a circuit diagram of the multi purpose switching circuit is shown. In this circuit diagram, the power unit  20  is shown as a direct power source VDD. The direct power source VDD is connected to the node A via a resistance component R 1 . The control unit  30  is shown as an N channel MOS Q 1  (hereinafter the “NMOS Q1”) with a gate connected to the node A, a source grounded, and a drain connected to the switching unit  40 . The switching unit  40  is shown as a P channel MOS Q 2  (hereinafter the “PMOS Q2”) with a gate and a source coupled through a resistance component R 2 . The gate and the source of the PMOS Q 2  are further connected to the direct power source VDD and the NMOS Q 1  respectively, and a drain of the PMOS Q 2  is connected to the delay unit  50 . The delay unit  50  is embodied as an RC (short for “resistance-capacitance”) delay unit  50  that includes a resistance component R 3  and a capacitance component C. A first terminal of the resistance component R 3  and a first terminal of the capacitance component C are connected between the drain of the PMOS Q 2  and the reset port  62 , and a second terminal of resistance component R 3  is connected with the node A while a second terminal of the capacitance component C is grounded. 
         [0015]    At rest, the self-returning actuator of the self-returning slide switch  10  is at the first position, and the NMOS Q 1  is in a switch-on state. A voltage drop exists between the gate and the source of the PMOS Q 2  and keeps the PMOS Q 2  also in a switch-on state. The PMOS Q 2  conducts power to the capacitance component C, thus charges the capacitance component C. When the self-returning actuator of the self-returning slide switch  10  is pushed to the second position and pulls the node A to ground, the NMOS Q 1  is switched off, and causes the PMOS Q 2  to switch off too. The capacitance component C discharges to ground via the resistance component R 3  and the node A. The discharge continues during the pushing time of the self-returning actuator and finally generates a low-level reset signal to the reset port  61 . 
         [0016]    The detecting module  64  detects pushing counts of the self-returning actuator within the predetermined time length and accordingly signals the power on/off module to initiate the starts up or the shut down of the main unit  60 . For example, supposing the self-returning actuator generates the power-on command signal when the pushing count is one and generates the power off command signal when the pushing count is two, if the detecting module  64  detects one push on the self-returning actuator in the predetermined time length, the detecting module  64  identifies that a power on command is inputted and sequentially signals the power on/off module  65  to initiate a start up of the main unit  60 . If the detecting module  64  detects two push of the self-returning actuator in the predetermined time length, the detecting module  64  identifies that a power off command is inputted and sequentially signals the power on/off module  65  to initiate a shut down of the main unit  60 . The predetermined time length is preferably less than a time the capacitance component C discharges to produce the low-level reset signal. 
         [0017]    It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the invention.