Video tape or cassette recorder

Details Video tape or cassette recorder Video tape or cassette recorder

1998-12-03

2001-04-03

Nguyen, Huy (Department: 2615)

Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing

Local trick play processing

With randomly accessible medium

Reexamination Certificate

active

06212326

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention is in the field of VCR. (Video Tape or Cassette Recorder)
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In all electronic appliances efforts are made to reduce power consumption, in particular when the appliance is, in what is known as a stand-by mode. Stand-by mode is a mode in which the appliance is off, except a receiving circuit which is to receive an infrared reset signal, for instance, from a remote control box.
In the case of a VCR which is permanently connected to a decoder and a TV, the TV may be ON while the VCR and the decoder are in a stand-by mode. This state last as long as the user does not switch to a channel in which the video signal is transmitted in a scrambled way. If the user switches to a scrambled channel then the decoder has to be turned ON. The change to be made at the level of the decoder transit through the VCR, the VCR being in stand-by mode. More precisely, The video signal from the TV enters the VCR via a first pin of a first connection generally known as scart
1
which is at the rear of the VCR, and leaves the VCR toward the decoder, via a first pin of a second connection known as scart
2
which is also at the rear of the VCR. The decoder will detect whether the received signal is a scrambled signal. If the received signal is detected to be a scrambled one, a microprocessor in the decoder will set a second pin of scart
2
to high. A microprocessor in the VCR which has a routine to check the level of the second pin of scart
2
, will receive the information. When the second pin is detected high, the routine will set a second pin of scart
1
to high. The unscrambled video signal from the decoder re-enters the VCR via a third pin of scart
2
and leaves the VCR via a third pin of scart
1
back to the TV. This signal loop from TV to decoder via VCR is made possible by switches of the VCR which are under the control of the microprocessor in the VCR.
The purpose of the invention is to reduce the power consumption of the VCR, while the VCR is in stand-by mode and connected via its scarts
1
and
2
to a decoder (or any other devices which have scart connection) and to a TV receiver.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention stems from the fact that the inventors realised that the decoder needs only to receive the video signal and not the audio signal to detect that the received TV signal is a scrambled one. Taking this fact into account, the routine of the microprocessor has been modified. According to the invention, audio switch is turned off when the VCR is in what is now called an “eco” stand-by mode. “Eco” stands for “ecology”. To sum up, the invention is about a video cassette recorder (VCR) connectable to a television receiver through a first connection, said connection having at least five pins, a first one to receive a video signal coming from a television receiver, a second one to output an unscrambled video signal toward the television receiver, a third one to receive an audio signal from the television receiver, a fourth one to output an unscrambled audio signal toward the television receiver and a fifth one to output control signal from a microprocessor of the VCR, said VCR being also connectable to a decoder of scrambled signal through a second connection, said second connection having at least five pins, a first one to output video signal received on first pin of said first scart toward the decoder, a second one to input said unscrambled video signal from the decoder, a third one to output toward the decoder said audio signal received on said third pin of said first scart from the television receiver, a fourth one to input an unscrambled audio signal from said decoder, and a fifth one to input a control signal coming from the decoder toward the microprocessor of the VCR, the input and output video signal passing through a first controllable video switch under control of the microprocessor, the input and output audio signal passing through a second controllable audio switch under control of the microprocessor of the VCR wherein in a first stand by mode called eco
1
mode, only the first video switch is settled to ON, and wherein after reception of a control signal on the fifth pin of said second scart, an order is sent to switch on said second switch, and a control signal is sent toward the fifth pin of first scart, the function of said signal being to trigger a control in the television receiver to indicate that a video signal is available at the second pin of first scart


REFERENCES:
patent: 4831449 (1989-05-01), Kimura
patent: 5523851 (1996-06-01), Leshem
patent: 5570198 (1996-10-01), Cho
patent: 5634798 (1997-06-01), Suh
patent: 5666555 (1997-09-01), Okazaki et al.
patent: 5887112 (1999-03-01), Geild
patent: 0742669A (1996-11-01), None

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