Television – Image signal processing circuitry specific to television – Switching
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-14
2001-05-01
Eisenzopf, Reinhard (Department: 2614)
Television
Image signal processing circuitry specific to television
Switching
C348S706000, C348S708000, C348S554000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226053
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video/audio line connection apparatus and more particularly, to a video line connection apparatus for adaptively connecting external input/output lines, the apparatus capable of forming a path for a signal by checking the connection state of the input/output terminal of the apparatus to which the external input/output lines are connected.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to display a video signal on the screen of a television set, it is necessary to connect a video line from the video source device to the television set. However, as shown in
FIG. 1
, it may be very difficult to connect the video line with the television set
70
, given the many types of video source devices such as the video cassette recorder (VCR)
10
, the laser disk player (LDP)
20
, the digital video disk player (DVD)
30
, and the satellite broadcasting receiver (BS)
40
. Furthermore, different video source devices have different output video signal configurations, such as Y/C separated or super video signals and composite (Y/C joined) video signals. Y refers to luminance and C refers to chrominance. Accordingly, as shown in
FIG. 1
, the line connections of the composite video line jacks
14
,
18
,
24
,
34
,
44
,
53
,
55
,
57
,
59
,
61
, and
74
and the Y/C separated or super video line jacks
12
,
16
,
22
,
32
,
42
,
52
,
54
,
56
,
58
,
60
and
72
are complicated.
To solve the problem in connecting the video lines, the video source devices
10
to
40
are connected to a television set
70
through an audio/video line connection device, i.e., A/V controlling device
50
.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, in the case that the Y/C separated video output jack
32
of a DVD
30
is connected to the Y/C separated video input jack
58
of the A/V controlling device
50
; the composite video output jack
24
of an LDP
20
is connected to the composite video input jack
57
of the A/V controlling device
50
; and the composite video out put jack
61
of the A/V controlling device
50
is connected to the composite video input jack
74
of the television set
70
, it is impossible to view the information outputted from the DVD
30
to the television screen on the television screen. This is because the conventional A/V controlling device
50
generally employs an on-screen integrated circuit chip, and the Y/C separated video signals and the composite video signals cannot be processed simultaneously by the on-screen integrated circuit chip.
Typically, these restrictive details are distributed to users in the user's manual. However, if the users do not read such manuals, they are unaware of these details, and are thereby unable to watch the desired image in the proper connection state.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a video line connection apparatus for adaptively connecting external input/output lines, the apparatus capable of selecting an output by responding to the external line which is connected to an input jack.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of composite video input jacks, which each generate a first connection signal in response to their connection to an external composite video line, and which each input a composite video signal; a plurality of Y/C separated video input jacks, which each generate a second connection signal in response to their connection to an external Y/C separated video line, and which each input a Y/C separated video signal; at least one composite video output jack, which generates a third connection signal in response to the connection of an external composite video line, and which outputs the composite video signal; at least one Y/C separated video output jack, which generates a fourth connection signal in response to the connection of an external Y/C separated video line, and which outputs the Y/C separated video signal; a control unit, which inputs the first to fourth connection signals generated from the composite video input jacks, the Y/C separated video input jacks, the composite video output jacks and the Y/C separated video output jacks, and which generates a first and a second switching control signals; a first multiplexer, which selects one of the composite video input jacks; a second multiplexer, which selects one of the luminance signal input terminals of the Y/C separated video input jacks; a third multiplexer, which selects one of the chrominance signal input terminals of the Y/C separated video input jacks; a luminance/chrominance signal separating unit, which inputs the composite video signal selected by the first multiplexer and separates that inputted signal into a luminance signal and a chrominance signal; an on-screen path control unit, which selects one of either the composite video signal selected by the first multiplexer, or the luminance signal separated by the luminance/chrominance signal separating unit, or the luminance signal of the Y/C separated video signal selected by the second multiplexer in response to the first switching control signal, mixes the selected signal with an on-screen signal, and outputs the mixed signal to the composite video output jack or to the luminance signal output terminal of the Y/C separated video output jack; and a chrominance signal path control unit, which selects either the chrominance signal separated by the luminance/chrominance signal separating unit or the chrominance signal of the Y/C separated video signal selected by the third multiplexer in response to the second switching control signal, and which outputs the selected signal to the chrominance signal output terminal of the Y/C separated video output jack.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5018013 (1991-05-01), Rabii
patent: 5325202 (1994-06-01), Washino
patent: 5438375 (1995-08-01), Sasabe et al.
patent: 5500690 (1996-03-01), Vilard
patent: 5838393 (1999-12-01), Simpson et al.
patent: 5886545 (1999-03-01), Sakuda et al.
patent: 5898463 (1999-04-01), Nishiyama
patent: 5999227 (1999-12-01), Doherty et al.
Dilworth & Barrese LLP
Eisenzopf Reinhard
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
Tran Trang U.
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