Television receiver equipped for simultaneously showing several programs

• US 4,139,860 A
• Filed: 06/15/1977
• Issued: 02/13/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ITT Industries (ITT, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITT Industries (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ullrich, Manfred F., Micic, Ljubomir, Schat, Hermannus, Freyberger, Laurin C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Psitos, Aristotelis M.
• Application Number:
  US05/806,639
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 358/22, 358/183, 358/182, 358/181
• US Class Current: 348/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

This relates to apparatus for the "picture on picture" or "program check" project. Storage, storage control circuits and clock signal generators are disclosed. The storage consists of two parts which are simultaneously fed by selected lines of the second program.

Claims

1. A television receiver for displaying a selected first program in the form of a large size picture and simultaneously displaying a further program in an image sector of the first program such that at least one image sector of the further program becomes visible on a screen in the form of a small size picture, said television receiver containing a storage device in which the picture contents of said further program, with a reduced number of lines, is first stored, with the aid of the filtered out vertical and horizontal synchronizing pulses, into defined storage positions and thereafter made visible at least partly in a corresponding position in said large size picture, comprising:

a first tuner associated with said first program;

a second tuner associated with said further program;

a first IF stage coupled to the output of said first tuner;

a second IF stage coupled with the output of said second tuner;

a first IF demodulator coupled to the output of said first IF stage;

a second IF demodulator coupled to the output of said second IF stage;

first and second partial storages each having an input coupled to the output of said second IF demodulator;

a first electronic switch having a first input coupled to the output of said first partial storage and a second input coupled to the output of said second partial storage;

a second electronic switch having a first input coupled to the output of said first electronic switch and a second input coupled to the output of said first IF demodulator;

a video-amplifier having an input coupled to the output of said second electronic switch; and

logic means for controlling said first and second electronic switches and said first and second partial storages, said logic means responsive to the vertical and horizontal synchronizing pulses of said further program and to the vertical synchronizing pulses and the horizontal flyback pulses of said first program.

2. A television receiver according to claim 1 wherein each of said partial storages is a charge transfer time delay circuit comprising:

a first longitudinal chain (K) of series connected identically designed stages operated in such a way by first clock signals (F1, F'"'"'1), that in one clock signal phase the even numbered stages of said first longitudinal chain contain an analog signal voltage while the odd number stages contain a neutral voltage value and, in a successively following clocked signal phase, the odd number stages contain an analog signal voltage value while the even number stages contain a neutral voltage value;

a plurality of transverse trains each coupled to alternate stages of said first longitudinal chain, each of said plurality of transverse trains comprising the same number (n) of series connected stages;

a second longitudinal chain (K'"'"') of series connected stages operated by second clock signals (F2, F'"'"'2); and

a clock signal generator for generating auxilary clock signals F3, 1'"'"' F3,2;

F3,n-1;

F3,n) each of said n auxiliary clocks signals for controlling one of the n stages in said transverse chains.

3. A television receiver according to claim 2 wherein said first and second partial storages are operated by the same clock signals.

4. A television receiver according to claim 2 wherein said clock signal generator for each partial storage comprises an n-stage shift register whose n-parallel outputs are connected to the corresponding first, second, . . . n-stages of said transverse chains, said shift register controlled by fourth clock signals (F4, F'"'"'4), wherein each time one stage is set in said shift registers with this information being shifted in direction from the nth to the first transverse chain stages in the shift register.

5. A television receiver according to claim 4 wherein said shift registers are dynamic shift registers consisting of insulated gate field effect transisters of the same conductivity and control type, each stage of which comprises:

a coupling transister having one end of its controlled current path applied to an information input;

a first switching transistor having one end of its controlled current path coupled to the zero point of the circuit;

a second switching transister;

a capacitor, said second switching transistor and said capacitor coupled to both said first switching transistor and said coupling transister such that the series connected controlled paths of both said first and second switching transisters are arranged between the zero point of the circuit and a first clock signal input, said capacitor being arranged between the gate terminal of the second switching transistor and the connecting point of the two switching transisters forming the output of the stage, the end of the controlled current path of said coupling transister facing away from the input is arranged at the gate terminal of the second switching transistor, and the gate terminals of both the switching transistor and the coupling transistor are jointly applied to a second clock signal input, alternate stages of said shift registers being fed by one of the two portions of a fourth clock signal (F4, F'"'"'4).

6. A television receiver according to claim 1 wherein said logic means comprises:

a first counter for counting the line synchronizing pulses of said further program, said first counter having a counting capacity (a) such that the reduced number of lines of said further program to be stored results from a- timesskipping successively following lines, said first counter having a reset input coupled to the vertical input synchronizing pulses of said further program;

a second counter for counting the line flyback pulses of said first program, said second counter having a counting capacity (b) corresponding to the number of lines in one field, said second counter having a reset input coupled to the vertical synchronizing pulses of said first program;

a third counter for counting the reduced number of lines of said further program, said third counter having a counting capacity (c) equal to the reduced number of lines, the counting input of said third counter connected to a counter reading output of said first counter, said third counter having a reset input coupled to the vertical synchronizing pulses of said further program;

a first flipflop which is set at a particular one of the counter reading outputs of said second counter which determines the vertical position of the first visible line of the small size picture with respect to the lines of a large size picture, and resets at a particular one of the counter reading outputs of said second counter which determines the vertical position of the first line of said further program which is not visible with respect to the lines of the large size picture;

a third flipflop having an input jointly connected to the output of said first flipflop;

a first AND-gate having first and second inputs, said first input coupled to the output of said second flipflop and said second input coupled to a particular ounnter reading of said first counter which is the next higher one in relation to the counter reading output coupled to the counter input of said third counter;

a fourth flipflop having an input coupled to the output of said first AND-gate and having a clock input coupled to the line flyback pulses of said first program;

a second AND-gate having first and second inputs, said first input coupled to theoutput of said third flipflop and said second input coupled to the output of said second flipflop;

a third AND-gate having first and second inputs said first input coupled to the complementary output of said third flipflop and said second input coupled to the complementary output of said second flipflop;

a first OR-gate having first and second inputs, said first input coupled to the output of said second AND-gate and said second input coupled to the output of said third AND-gate, said first OR-gate having an output coupled to the clock input of said third flipflop;

a binary divider having an input coupled to the output of said first OR-gate;

a first preselecting counter;

a first triggered oscillator having a trigger input coupled to a counter reading output of said first counter as connected to the clock input of said third counter and which generates a first clock signal (F1, F'"'"'1), whose frequency (f1) is equal to both the product of the line frequency of the large size picture and the number of storage positions of the first longitudinal chain (K) of the partial storage necessary for storing one complete line, with d clock periods being generated after the triggering and during the line duration of the further program with the aid of the first preselecting counter;

a second preselecting counter;

a second triggered oscillator having a trigger input coupled to the line flyback pulses of said first program for generating fourth clock signals (F4, F'"'"'4) with at least e clock periods being generated after the triggering with the aid of said second preselecting counter, with e being equal to half the number of lines of the small size picture, and the frequency (f₄) of the fourth clock signal being approximately equal to e- times the reciprocal value of the portion of one line duration of said large size picture lying between the left-hand rim portion of said large size picture and a left-hand rim portion of said small size picture;

a third preselecting counter;

a third triggered oscillator having a trigger input coupled to a trigger pulse at the end of the last pulse of said e clock signals of said second oscillator, for generating a second clock signal (F2, F'"'"'2) whose frequency (f2) is equal to a- times the frequency of said first clock signal, with g clock periods being generated after the triggering and during the line duration of said further program as reduced by the blanking interval by means of said third preselecting counter;

a fourth AND-gate having first and second inputs, said first input coupled to a first output of said second oscillator activated during the last clock period coupled to the output of said fourth flipflop;

a fifth AND-gate having first and second inputs, said first input coupled to a pulse output activated for the time duration of said g clock period of said third oscillator, said second input coupled to the output of said first flipflop;

sixth and seventh AND-gates each having first and second inputs the first input of each jointly applied to a second pulse output of said second oscillator which is activated during one of the first ones of the e clock period of the fourth clock period (F4, F'"'"'4), the second input of said sixth AND-gate coupled to the output of said first flipflop, and the second input of said seventh AND-gate coupled to the output of said fourth flipflop;

eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh AND-gates each having two inputs, the first input of said eighth and ninth AND-gates jointly coupled to the output of said binary divider stage, the first input of said tenth and eleventh AND-gates jointly coupled to the complementary output of said binary divider stage, the second inputs of said ninth and tenth AND-gates jointly coupled to the output of seventh AND-gate and the second input of both the eithth and eleventh AND-gates coupled to the output of said sixth AND-gate;

a second OR-gate having first and second inputs, said first input coupled to the output of said eighth AND-gate and said second input coupled to the output of said tenth AND-gate.

a third OR-gate having first and second inputs, said first input coupled to the output of said ninth AND-gate and said second input coupled to the output of said eleventh AND-gate; and

a twelvth AND-gate having a first inverting input and a second non-inverting input, said non-inverting input coupled to one of the two clock signal outputs of said first oscillator, said inverting input coupled to the output of said fourth AND-gate wherein one of the output signals of said binary divider stage controls said first electronic switch, the output of said fifth AND-gate controls said second electronic switch, the output of said twelvth AND-gate and the other clock signal output of said first oscillator serves as outputs of said first clock signal, (F1, F'"'"'1), the output signal of said second OR-gate is shifted into the shift register corresponding to the first partial storage, and the output of said third OR-gate is shifted into the shift register corresponding to said second partial storage.

7. A television receiver according to claim 6 wherein said logic circuit further includes:

a capacitor;

an RS flipflop having an R input coupled via said capacitor to the input for the vertical synchronizing pulses of said first program, and having an S input coupled to the output of said first flipflop;

a first changeover switch whose first switch input is coupled to the output of said third RS flipflop whose second switch input is coupled to the S input of said RS flipflop and whose switch output is applied to the second input of said fifth AND-gate; and

a second changeover switch having a first switch input coupled to the trigger output of said second triggered oscillator, a second switch input coupled to the pulse output of said third triggered oscillator, and a switch output coupled to the first input of said fifth AND-gate, said first and second changeover switches capable of being switched only in common from their respective first switch inputs to their respective second switch inputs.

8. A television receiver according to claim 1 wherein the tuner associated with said further program and the corresponding IF stage are dimensioned to be so narrow banded so as to suppress the color subcarrier frequency as contained in the signal received from a sender.

9. A television receiver according to claim 1 wherein when using the tuner associated with said further program and the corresponding IF stage having the same band with as the tuner and the IF stage of the said first program, the respective input of the two partial storages are connected to the output of the RF stage associated with said further program through a filter suppressing the color sub-carrier frequency.

10. A television receiver according to claim 9 wherein said filter is a low pass filter.