# US 2014/0195697 A1 · Apparatus and method for detecting functions of video card > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0195697 A1 - Document ID: US20140195697A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/147,563 - Filed: 2014-01-05 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-10 - Assignees: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.; Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Wuhan) Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.; HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY (WuHan) CO., LTD. - Inventors: CHUN-SHENG CHEN - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195697A1 ## CPC - G06F 13/385: {for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A video card detection device electrically connects to a motherboard of a computing device to detect functions of an integrated video card and an independent video card of the motherboard. The independent video card is configured to electrically connect to a first display, and the integrated video card is configured to electrically connect to a second display. Functions of the independent video card are detected first. When the functions of the independent video card have been detected, functions of the independent video card are disabled. Then, the computing device is restarted to detect functions of the integrated video card. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A video card detection device connected to a motherboard of a computing device, the motherboard comprising an independent video card configured to connect to a first display and an integrated video card configured to connect to a second display, the video card detection device comprising: a first detection module sending a first command to the computing device via the motherboard, the first command triggering the computing device to execute a predetermined video card detection program to detect functions of the independent video card; a determination module determining whether the integrated video card is electrically connected to the second display when the functions of the independent video card have been detected; a disable module disabling functions of the independent video card when the integrated video card is electrically connected to the second display; a restarting module restarting the computing device; and a second detection module sending a second command to the computing device via the motherboard when the computing device has been restarted, the second command triggering the computing device to execute the predetermined video card detection program to detect functions of the integrated video card. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The video card detection device according to claim 1, wherein the motherboard further comprises a connector and a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIE) slot, the integrated video card is connected to the second display via the connector, and the independent video card is plugged into the PCIE slot. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The video card detection device according to claim 2, wherein the connector is a video graphics array (VGA) connector. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The video card detection device according to claim 2, wherein the video card detection device further comprises a detection circuit connected to the connector of the motherboard; when the second display is electrically connected to the integrated video card via the connector, the detection circuit outputs a first detection signal; when the second display is not electrically connected to the integrated video card via the connector, the detection circuit outputs a second detection signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The video card detection device according to claim 4, wherein the determination module determines whether the integrated video card is electrically connected to the second display according to the first detection signal and the second detection signal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The video card detection device according to claim 4, wherein the detection circuit comprises a power source, a resistor, an input/output (I/O) unit, and a basic input/output system (BIOS) chip, the I/O unit is connected between the connector and the BIOS chip, the connector has a first detection pin, the second display has a second detection pin which is grounded, the first detection pin is connected to the I/O unit, and the I/O unit is further connected to the power source via the resistor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The video card detection device according to claim 6, wherein when the second display is electrically connected to the connector, the first detection pin is connected to the second detection pin, the I/O unit outputs a first voltage signal to the BIOS chip, and the BIOS chip outputs the first detection signal according to the first voltage signal; when the second display is not electrically connected to the connector, the first detection pin is not connected to the second detection pin, a voltage output from the power source is applied to the I/O unit, the I/O unit outputs a second voltage signal to the BIOS chip, and the BIOS chip outputs a second detection signal according to the second voltage signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The video card detection device according to claim 6, wherein the I/O unit is a super I/O chip of the computing device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The video card detection device according to claim 6, wherein the resistor is a pull up resistor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The video card detection device according to claim 7, wherein the first voltage signal is a low level voltage signal and the second voltage signal is a high level voltage signal. ### Claim 11 A method for detecting function of video cards of a computing device using a video card detection device, the video card detection device connected to a motherboard of the computing device, the motherboard comprising an independent video card configured to connect to a first display and an integrated video card configured to connect to a second display, the method comprising: sending a first command to the computing device via the motherboard, the first command triggering the computing device to execute a predetermined video card detection program to detect functions of the independent video card; determining whether the integrated video card is electrically connected to the second display when the functions of the independent video card have been detected; disabling functions of the independent video card when the integrated video card is electrically connected to the second display; restarting the computing device; and sending a second command to the computing device via the motherboard when the computing device has been restarted, the second command triggering the computing device to execute the predetermined video card detection program to detect functions of the integrated video card. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the motherboard further comprises a connector and a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIE) slot, the integrated video card is connected to the second display via the connector, and the independent video card is plugged into the PCIE slot. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the connector is a video graphics array (VGA) connector. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the video card detection device comprises a detection circuit connected to the connector of the motherboard; when the second display is electrically connected to the integrated video card via the connector, the detection circuit outputs a first detection signal; when the second display is not electrically connected to the integrated video card via the connector, the detection circuit outputs a second detection signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein whether or not the integrated video card is electrically connected to the second display is determined according to the first detection signal and the second detection signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein the detection circuit comprises a power source, a resistor, an input/output (I/O) unit, and a basic input/output system (BIOS) chip, the I/O unit is connected between the connector and the BIOS chip, the connector has a first detection pin, the second display has a second detection pin which is grounded, the first detection pin is connected to the I/O unit, and the I/O unit is further connected to the power source via the resistor. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein when the second display is electrically connected to the connector, the first detection pin is connected to the second detection pin, the I/O unit outputs a first voltage signal to the BIOS chip, and the BIOS chip outputs the first detection signal according to the first voltage signal; when the second display is not electrically connected to the connector, the first detection pin is not connected to the second detection pin, a voltage output from the power source is applied to the I/O unit, the I/O unit outputs a second voltage signal to the BIOS chip, and the BIOS chip outputs a second detection signal according to the second voltage signal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the I/O unit is a super I/O chip of the computing device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the resistor is a pull up resistor. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, wherein the first voltage signal is a low level voltage signal and the second voltage signal is a high level voltage signal.