Television – Synchronization – Automatic phase or frequency control
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-22
2001-11-13
Eisenzopf, Reinhard J. (Department: 2614)
Television
Synchronization
Automatic phase or frequency control
C348S537000, C375S375000, C375S376000, C327S147000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317161
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional horizontal phase-locked loops for video decoders serve the purpose of locking the sampling clock, for clocking digital pixel information into the phase-locked loop, to the falling edge of the incoming horizontal sync of composite video information. This lock is required to generate a stable picture in the horizontal direction and position signals which identify the sync tip, back porch, and the color burst of the composite video. The analog video information enters an analog-to-digital converter which outputs digital pixel information. A pixel counter counts video information corresponding to pixels in what can be considered a horizontal scan line across a display monitor screen such as a cathode ray tube. The pixel counter starts with a count of zero and counts to a terminal count and then falls back to zero. The phase-locked loop employs two modes of lock; a coarse lock and a fine lock. In the coarse lock mode the incoming horizontal sync pulse which is usually present during the blanking interval of each line associated with the video signal (for the purpose of being able to synchronize the scanning of the monitor with the scanning of the original image), is detected by an analog circuit. Based on the decode of the pixel counter, a coarse gate filter window (meaning a relatively wide time window in comparison with the narrow time window associated with the fine window discussed below) is enabled around the time the horizontal sync pulse is expected. If the sync does not occur within the gate window for a time corresponding to several consecutive video lines, then either the pixel counter is reset or a correction is made to the clock frequency of the video decoder system in order to move the window to the sync pulse. When the sync pulse falls within the fine lock window, then the fine lock mode is enabled. A fine gate filter window is employed by the fine lock mode which enables a phase detector which calculates a phase error based upon the position of the edge of the sync pulse within a narrow window known as the fine window. This phase error is then filtered by a loop filter whose output is fed to a discrete time oscillator which adjusts the clock frequency to move the sync pulse so that its edge is centered in the fine window, thereby minimizing the phase error. Prior art horizontal phase-locked loop schemes are generally implemented according to analog hardware, digital hardware or a combination of analog and digital hardware. A major drawback of this type of implementation lies in the inconvenience of changing parameters to adapt to a particular video scheme, e.g. NTSC, PAL, NPAL, MPAL, etc. A microprocessor based system is needed in order provide a highly adaptable and improved horizontal phase-locked loop.
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Chang Weider P.
Renner Karl
Brady III Wade James
Eisenzopf Reinhard J.
Stewart Alan K.
Telecky , Jr. Frederick J.
Texas Instruments Incorporated
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