INPUT AND OUTPUT SWITCHING DEVICE AND INPUT AND OUTPUT SWITCHING METHOD

• US 20120042346A1
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Funabiki, Makoto, Sato, Tetsuya, YOSHIDA, Junji
• Granted Patent: US 8,601,520 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/81
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams

Abstract

In the wireless HDMI converter, appropriate audio data input switching is performed, and, when an instruction is received, an audio data extraction unit extracts audio data from video and audio data received by an HDMI input interface from an STB, and an optical audio output interface outputs the extracted audio data to a home theater, thereby avoiding failure of wireless communication by a wireless interface or deterioration of the quality of such wireless communication.

Claims

1. An input and output switching device comprising:

a first interface which is wirelessly connected to an external transmitting and receiving device, and at least transmits video data to, and receives audio data and a control signal from, the connected external transmitting and receiving device;

a second interface which is connected to an external transmitting device, and at least receives video and audio data from the external transmitting device;

a third interface which is connected to an external audio output device, and transmits audio data;

an audio selector which switches a path through which the audio data is to be transmitted to the external audio output device;

a control unit configured to instruct said audio selector to switch the path, based on the control signal received by said first interface; and

an audio data extraction unit configured to extract audio data from the video and audio data received by said second interface,

wherein, when a first instruction signal for selecting said first interface is received as the control signal;

(a-i) said first interface receives the audio data from the external transmitting and receiving device, and outputs the received audio data to said audio selector;

(a-ii) said control unit is configured to issue, to said audio selector, a first input selection instruction for selecting said first interface as an input of said audio selector;

(a-iii) said audio selector outputs, to said third interface, the audio data outputted from said first interface, when the first input selection instruction is received from said control unit; and

(a-iv) said third interface outputs, to the external audio output device, the audio data outputted by said audio selector, and

when a second instruction signal for selecting said second interface is received as the control signal;

(b-i) said second interface receives the video and audio data from the external transmitting device, and outputs the received video and audio data to said audio data extraction unit;

(b-ii) said audio data extraction unit extracts the audio data from the video and audio data received from said second interface, and outputs the extracted audio data to said audio selector;

(b-iii) said control unit is configured to issue, to said audio selector, a second input selection instruction for selecting said second interface as the input of said audio selector;

(b-iv) said audio selector outputs, to said third interface, the extracted audio data outputted from said audio data extraction unit, when the second input selection instruction is received from said control unit;

(b-v) said third interface outputs, to the external audio output device, the audio data outputted from said audio selector; and

(b-vi) said first interface outputs, to the external transmitting and receiving device, the video and audio data received from the external transmitting device.

2. The input and output switching device according to claim 1, comprising:

at least two sets of said second interface and said audio data extraction unit; and

a video and audio selector which switches a path for the video and audio data,

wherein, when a set selection instruction for selecting a set by selecting said second interface in either of the at least two sets is received as the control signal;

(c-i) said second interface in the set selected according to the received set selection instruction receives the video and audio data from said external transmitting device, and outputs the received video and audio data to said audio data extraction unit in the selected set;

(c-ii) said audio data extraction unit in the selected set is configured to extract the audio data from the video and audio data received from said second interface in the selected set, and output the extracted audio data to said audio selector;

(c-iii) said control unit is configured to issue, to said audio selector, an instruction for selecting said second interface in the selected set as the input of said audio selector, and issue, to said video and audio selector, an instruction to select the second interface of the selected set as an input of said video and audio selector;

(c-iv) said audio selector outputs, to said third interface, the audio data outputted from said audio data extraction unit that received the video and audio data from said second interface selected according to the instruction from said control unit;

(c-v) said third interface outputs, to the external audio output device, the audio data outputted by said audio selector;

(c-vi) said video and audio selector outputs, to said first interface, the video and audio data from said second interface selected according to the instruction from said control unit; and

(c-vii) said first interface outputs, to the external transmitting and receiving device, the video and audio data received from said video and audio selector.

3. The input and output switching device according to claim 1, further comprising

a command transmitting and receiving unit configured to transmit and receive a device control command, via said second interface,

wherein, upon receiving an input and output switching command as the device control command, said command transmitting and receiving unit is configured to instruct said control unit to select, as an input, a second interface to which a transmission source device of the input and output switching command is connected, among a plurality of said second interfaces included in said input and output switching device, and

when instructed by said command transmitting and receiving unit to select said second interface of the transmission source device as the input, said control unit is configured to perform a same operation as an operation performed when the second instruction signal for selecting said second interface of the transmission source device is received as the control signal.

4. The input and output switching device according to claim 1,

wherein said second interface is a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI).

5. The input and output switching device according to claim 1,

wherein said first interface is an interface for wireless communication.

6. The input and output switching device according to claim 3,

wherein the input and output switching command is a consumer electronics control (CEC) command transmitted by the external transmitting device.

7. The input and output switching device according to claim 1,

wherein the external transmitting and receiving device is a television which displays high-definition (HD) video,

said external audio output device outputs audio included in video and audio which includes the video to be displayed,

said input and output switching device is a wireless high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) converter,

said first interface performs wireless communication with the television using wireless HD, and causes the television to display video of the video data from the external transmitting device connected to said wireless HDMI converter using the HDMI, by wirelessly transmitting the video data of the video to the television,

said audio data extraction unit is configured to, when the video data is to be wirelessly transmitted, obtain the video and audio data including the video data, and extract the audio data from the obtained video and audio data,

said first interface receives the audio data from the television by the wireless communication only when the video data is not to be wirelessly transmitted, and does not receive the audio data when the video data is to be wirelessly transmitted, and

said audio selector causes the external audio output device to output the audio data received from the television only when the video data is not to be wirelessly transmitted, and cause the external audio output device to output the audio data extracted by said audio data extraction unit when the video data is to be wirelessly transmitted.

8. The input and output switching device according to claim 7,

wherein said first interface transmits, to the television, the video data included in video and audio data received by said wireless HDMI converter from the external transmitting device, by wirelessly transmitting the video and audio data to the television, and causes the television to display the video of the transmitted video data, and

said audio data extraction unit is configured to obtain the video and audio data received from the wireless HDMI converter, and extract the audio data from the obtained video and audio data.

9. The input and output switching device according to claim 8,

wherein said wireless HDMI converter is connected to a plurality of devices using the HDMI,

said first interface wirelessly transmits the video data from a device specified by a signal received by said wireless HDMI converter, from among the devices,

said audio data extraction unit is configured to extract the audio data from the video and audio data from the specified device, and

said audio selector causes the external audio output device to output the extracted audio data from the specified device, when the video data is to be wirelessly transmitted.

10. The input and output switching device according to claim 9, further comprising

an output unit configured to output the extracted audio data or the audio data received from the television through an audio return channel (ARC) of the HDMI, to the external audio output device connected to said wireless HDMI converter using the HDMI.

11. An input and output switching method performed by an input and output switching device that includes:

a first interface which is wirelessly connected to an external transmitting and receiving device, and at least transmits video data to, and receives audio data and a control signal from, the connected external transmitting and receiving device;

a second interface which is connected to an external transmitting device, and at least receives video and audio data from the external transmitting device;

a third interface which is connected to an external audio output device, and transmits audio data;

an audio selector which switches a path through which the audio data is to be transmitted to the external audio output device;

a control unit configured to instruct the audio selector to switch the path, based on the control signal received by the first interface; and

an audio data extraction unit configured to extract audio data from the video and audio data received by the second interface,

said input and output switching method comprising;

(a) the following performed when a first instruction signal for selecting the first interface is received as the control signal;

(a-i) receiving the audio data from the external transmitting and receiving device, and outputting the received audio data to the audio selector, performed by the first interface;

(a-ii) issuing a first input selection instruction to the audio selector performed by the control unit, the first input selection instruction being for selecting the first interface as an input of the audio selector;

(a-iii) outputting the audio data outputted from the first interface, to the third interface, performed by the audio selector, when the first input selection instruction is received from the control unit; and

(a-iv) outputting the audio data outputted by the audio selector, to the external audio output device, performed by the third interface; and

(b) the following performed when a second instruction signal for selecting the second interface is received as the control signal;

(b-i) receiving the video and audio data from the external transmitting device, and outputting the received video and audio data to the audio data extraction unit, performed by the second interface;

(b-ii) extracting the audio data from the video and audio data received from the second interface, and outputting the extracted audio data to the audio selector, performed by the audio data extraction unit;

(b-iii) issuing a second input selection instruction to the audio selector, performed by the control unit, the second input selection instruction being for selecting the second interface as the input of the audio selector;

(b-iv) outputting the extracted audio data to the third interface, performed by the audio selector, when the second input selection instruction is received from the control unit, the extracted audio data being outputted from the audio data extraction unit;

(b-v) outputting the audio data outputted from the audio selector, to the external audio output device, performed by the third interface; and

(b-vi) outputting the video and audio data received from the external transmitting device, to the external transmitting and receiving device, performed by the first interface.