Method and system for controlling peripheral devices connected to a video device

• US 20050034160A1
• Filed: 08/09/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sung-hee, Kim, Yong-jun, Jeon, Yu-seong, Park, Jong-wook, Kim, Hyo-dae, Choi, Eu-gene, Kim, Jae-kwon, Kang, Young-mi
• Granted Patent: US 8,214,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052

Abstract

A method and apparatus for effectively performing optimal connection configuration by recognizing the connection status between a video device and external peripheral devices. The method for identifying predetermined peripheral devices connected to a video device over serial communication control lines, includes, transmitting a command to establish connection of a current peripheral device having no given device ID to its upper peripheral device among the predetermined peripheral devices, and transmitting a command to disconnect a connection to its lower peripheral device; requesting unique device identification information to the predetermined peripheral devices; receiving a response to the request from the current peripheral device; and giving a device ID to the current peripheral device.

Claims

1. A method for identifying predetermined peripheral devices connected to a video device over serial communication control lines, comprising:

(a) transmitting a command to establish connection of a current peripheral device having no given device ID to an upper peripheral device among the predetermined peripheral devices, and transmitting a command to disconnect a connection to a lower peripheral device;

(b) requesting unique device identification information to the predetermined peripheral devices;

(c) receiving a response to the request from the current peripheral device; and

(d) giving a device ID to the current peripheral device.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein establishing the connection to the upper peripheral device is performed by enabling a buffer of the upper peripheral device, and disconnecting the connection to the lower peripheral device is performed by disabling a buffer of the current peripheral device.

3. A method for allowing a predetermined peripheral device connected to a video device over a serial communication control line to be identified by the video device, comprising:

(a) establishing a connection of the predetermined peripheral device to an upper peripheral device and disconnecting a connection to a lower peripheral device;

(b) receiving a command to request unique device identification information from the video device over the communication control line;

(c) transmitting a response to the request command to the video device if a device ID is not allocated to the predetermined peripheral device; and

(d) receiving an allocated device ID from the video device.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein establishing the connection to the upper peripheral device is performed by enabling a buffer of the upper peripheral device, and disconnecting the connection to the lower peripheral device is performed by disabling a buffer of the current peripheral device.

5. A video device for identifying a peripheral device connected to a video device over a communication control line, comprising:

a packet transceiver unit for transmitting a signal to request unique device identification information to the peripheral device, receiving a response signal to the signal, and transmitting connection establishing and disconnecting signals to and from the peripheral device;

a packet generating unit for producing the request signal in a form having a predetermined protocol; and

an ID generating unit producing and giving unique device ID per the peripheral device.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein if the communication control line is configured in a serial communication scheme, the packet generating unit produces a packet containing a command to disconnect terminals connected between peripheral devices and a packet containing a command to connect the connected terminals.

7. A peripheral device for allowing the peripheral device connected to a video device over a communication control line to be identified by the video device, comprising:

a packet transceiver unit for receiving from the video device a packet to request unique device identification information to the peripheral device, and transmitting a response packet to the requesting packet if a device ID is not allocated to the peripheral device;

a packet generating unit for producing the response packet in a form having a predetermined protocol; and

a memory unit for storing a device ID that is allocated by the video device in response to transmitting the response packet.

8. The peripheral device as claimed in claim 7, wherein if the communication control line is configured in a serial communication scheme, the peripheral device further comprises:

a buffer for determining whether the video device or an upper peripheral device of the peripheral device is connected to a lower peripheral device of the peripheral device; and

a buffer control unit for disconnecting or connecting the buffer according to the command received from the video device.

9. A method for identifying connection status of AV cables between peripheral devices that are connected to a video device over communication control lines, comprising:

powering off all of the peripheral devices except for the video device;

determining whether a signal is input to a particular input terminal of the video device;

if it is determined that the signal is not input, powering on a peripheral device of which the connection status is to be recognized and checking whether the signal is input to the particular input terminal of the video device; and

if it is checked that the signal is input, selecting a particular input terminal to which the signal is input.

10. A method for identifying connection status of AV cables between peripheral devices that are connected to a video device over communication control lines, comprising:

powering on a peripheral device of which the connection status is to be recognized and searching for an input terminal to which a signal of the video device is input;

powering off the peripheral device;

determining whether a signal is input to the searched input terminal of the video device; and

if it is determined that the signal is not input, determining that an AV cable of the peripheral device is connected to the selected input terminal.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein powering off or on the peripheral device is performed by determining a target peripheral device to which a power supply ON/OFF command is delivered, based on a device ID allocated to the peripheral device, and transmitting a packet containing the power supply ON/OFF command to the determined peripheral device.

12. A video device for recognizing connection status between peripheral devices connected to the video device over a communication control line, comprising:

a packet transmitting unit for transmitting packets to instruct the peripheral devices to power on or off;

an AV receiving terminal for receiving an AV signal from the peripheral devices; and

a control unit for determining the connection status by checking the AV receiving terminal of the video device to which an AV signal of the peripheral device of which the connection status is to be recognized is input, powering off the peripheral device and checking the AV signal incoming to the AV receiving terminal.

13. The video device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the AV signal input to the particular input terminal is delivered from a peripheral device that has received a packet to instruct power-on.

14. A method for intelligently configuring connection between a video device and peripheral devices, comprising:

sensing peripheral devices connected to a network and giving a unique identifier to each of the connected peripheral devices;

requesting back panel information to the peripheral devices and receiving back panel information from the peripheral devices; and

computing optimal connection configuration between the video device and the peripheral device based on the back panel information.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

checking whether the video device and the peripheral devices are connected to each other in conformity with the optimal connection configuration.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

if it is checked that the connection configuration is not normal, displaying connection error information to a user.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a signal indicating whether the connection configuration is re-attempted from the user according to the error information display.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the second step further comprises:

checking the requested back panel information;

performing a search as to whether a back panel image is present;

if it is determined from search results that the back panel image is not present, transmitting video and audio terminal information; and

if it is determined from search results that the back panel image is present, transmitting the video and audio terminal information, back panel image, and back panel image information.

19. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the third step further comprises:

(a) selecting a particular type of input and output terminals present in the video device and inquiring the number of the terminals;

(b) searching for peripheral devices having the particular input and output terminals;

(c) receiving a user'"'"'s selection if it is determined from search results that the number of the found peripheral devices is larger than the number of the particular input and output terminals of the video device; and

(d) storing connection situation determined through the selection.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein if it is determined from search results that there is no found peripheral device, other type of particular input and output terminals are selected and the steps following the step (a) are repeated.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the sequence of selecting the particular input and output terminals is determined from higher image quality or sound quality sequence.

22. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein if it is to be checked whether the video or audio input signal is normal, the fourth step comprises:

powering off all of the peripheral devices except for the video device;

confirming whether a connection jack is coupled to a particular input terminal of the video device mapped to the peripheral devices;

if it is confirmed that the connection jack is coupled, determining whether a signal is input to the particular input terminal;

if it is determined that the signal is not input, powering on the peripheral device and then checking whether the signal is input to the particular input terminal of the video device; and

if it is checked that the signal is input, determining that relevant connection status is normal and storing the result.

23. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein if it is to be checked whether the video or audio input signal is normal, the fourth step comprises:

powering on all of the peripheral devices except for the video device;

confirming whether a connection jack is coupled to a particular output terminal of the video device mapped to the peripheral devices;

if it is confirmed that the connection jack is coupled, muting the particular output terminal of the video device on;

determining whether a signal is input to a particular input terminal of the peripheral device;

if it is determined that the signal is not input, muting the particular output terminal of the video device off;

checking whether a signal is input to the particular input terminal of the peripheral device; and

if it is checked that the signal is input, determining that relevant connection status is normal and storing the result.

24. The method as claimed in any one of claims 14, wherein the video device is a TV, and the peripheral devices are AV devices capable of receiving or outputting a video or audio signal.

25. A video device comprises:

a packet generating unit for searching for a peripheral device, inquiring back panel information, and producing a data packet conforming to a protocol for checking connection status;

a memory for storing connection status information indicating the connection status with the peripheral device;

a graphic generating unit for graphically producing connection status between devices using the back panel information received from the peripheral device; and

a control unit for sensing the connected peripheral device using the data packet, requesting the back panel information of the peripheral device to compute optimal connection configuration, and determining whether the current connection status is optimal based on the computed results.

26. The video device as claimed in claim 25, wherein the peripheral device comprises:

a transceiver unit for transmitting and receiving data to and from the video device through network connection;

a packet generating unit for producing a response packet to the request packet of the video device;

a memory for storing the back panel information of the peripheral device; and

a control unit for checking the back panel information and checking a connection signal with the video device.

27. The video device as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:

a user input unit for receiving a signal indicating whether the connection configuration is re-attempted from the user if the control unit determines that there is an error as a result of determining whether it is optimal or not.

28. The video device as claimed in claim 25, wherein the back panel information includes video and audio terminal information as its contents if a back panel image is not present in the peripheral device and includes the video and audio terminal information, the back panel image, and back panel image information as its contents if the back panel image is present.

29. The video device as claimed in any one of claims 25, wherein the video device is a TV, and the peripheral devices are AV devices capable of receiving or outputting a video or audio signal.