Human Interface Device - History

History

The primary motivation for HID research was to enable innovation in PC input devices and simplify the process of installing these devices. Prior to HID, devices usually conformed to strictly defined protocols for mice, keyboards and joysticks; for example, the standard mouse protocol at the time supported relative X and Y axis data and binary input for up to two buttons, with no legacy support. All Hardware innovations necessitated overloading the use of data in an existing protocol or creation of custom device drivers and evangelization of a new protocol to developers. By contrast, all HID-defined devices deliver self-describing packages that may contain any number of data types and formats. A single HID driver on the PC parses data and enables dynamic association of data I/O with application functionality, which has enabled rapid innovation and development, and prolific diversification of new human interface devices.

The HID standard was developed by a working committee with representatives from several prominent companies. The list of participants can be found in the "Device Class Definition for Human Interface Devices (HID)" document. The concept of a self describing extensible protocol was initially conceived of by Mike Van Flandern and Manolito Adan, while working on a project named Raptor at Microsoft, and independently by Steve McGowan, who was working on a device protocol for Access Bus while at Forte. After comparing notes at a Consumer Game Developer Conference, Steve and Mike agreed to collaborate on a new standard for the emerging Universal Serial Bus.

Common HIDs
  • Keyboard
  • Mouse, Trackball, Touchpad, Pointing stick
  • Graphics tablet
  • Joystick, Gamepad, Analog stick
  • Webcam
  • Fingerprint Scanner
  • Headset

Less common HIDs
  • Driving simulator devices and flight simulator devices have HIDs such as gear sticks, steering wheels and pedals.
  • Wired glove (Nintendo Power Glove)
  • Dance pad
  • Wii Remote
  • Surface computing device
  • Apple's Sudden Motion Sensor(SMS) device in Macs.

There are limitations to the HID protocol, but most operating systems will recognize standard USB HID devices, such as keyboards and mice, without needing a specialized driver. When installed, a message saying that "A "HID-compliant device" has been recognized," generally appears on screen. In comparison, this message does not usually appear for devices connected via the PS/2 6-pin DIN connectors which preceded USB. PS/2 does not typically support plug-and-play, which means that connecting a PS/2 keyboard or mouse with the computer powered on does not always work. Likewise, the PS/2 standard does not support the HID protocol. A USB HID is described by the USB human interface device class.

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