Television system and data generator and receiver suitable therefor

• US 4,704,629 A
• Filed: 04/09/1986
• Issued: 11/03/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Vreeswijk, Franciscus W. P., Tan, Sing L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Application Number:
  US06/849,668
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 358/3, 358/142, 358/14, 358/15, 358/146, 370/109
• US Class Current: 375/240.25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 11/08 using sequential signals only dot sequential systems H04N11/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/10 Processing, recording or transmission of stereoscopic or multi-view image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/007 Systems with supplementary picture signal insertion during a portion of the active part of a television signal, e.g. during top and bottom lines in a HDTV letter-box system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0806 the signals being two or more video signals H04N7/0803, H04N7/081 take precedence

Abstract

Television transmission or data storage system with time-division multiplex encoding. At least two signal sources are coupled via an encoding circuit for time-division multiplex encoding to a transmission or storage channel to which a data receiver including a decoding circuit can be connected. The signal supplied comprises two or more sub-picture signals during the line periods and the signal-compression or expansion time ratios for the different sub-picture signals are different. The decoding circuit is suitable for consecutively supplying signals during a line period of the data receiver, which signals largely correspond to the different sub-picture signals.

Claims

1. A television system for television transmission in data storage comprising at least one data generator, at least one data receiver and a transmission or data storage channel arranged between the generator and the receiver, said data generator for supplying two essentially different picture signals being provided with a first signal source for supplying a signal comprising luminance information during a first part of a line period of the data generator, and with a second signal source for supplying a signal comprising luminance information during a second part of the line period of the data generator, the data generator being furthermore provided with an encoding circuit for a time-division multiplex encoding of the said signals comprising luminance information and of signals comprising synchronizing and identification information, said encoding circuit having an output for supplying a time-division multiplex encoded signal for transmission via the transmission channel or storage in the data storage channel, this time-division multiplex encoded signal having at least two sub-signals in which a first luminance information in the sub-signal supplied during the first part of a line period of the data generator corresponds to the luminance information of part of a line period of the first signal source and in which a second luminance information in the sub-signal supplied during the second part of the line period of the data generator corresponds to the luminance information of part of a line period of the second signal source, the data receiver comprising a decoding circuit coupled to the said channel having a substantially adapted operation to that of said encoding circuit for supplying signals comprising luminance information which substantially corresponds to the data produced by the signal sources in the data generator, these signals being such, that a signal comprising luminance information which substantially corresponds to the first luminance information, and a signal comprising luminance information which substantially corresponds to the second luminance information is consecutively supplied during a line period of the data receiver, said system being characterized in that the signals supplied by the encoding circuit are supplied after a predetermined change in duration or unchanged in duration, the signal comprising the first luminance information having a signal compression or expansion time ratio differing from the corresponding ratio of the signal comprising the second luminance information, said ratio indicating the ratio between the durations of a luminance information before and after the predetermined change in duration and is equal to unity when the durations of a luminance information are unchanged.

2. A data generator suitable for use in a television system as claimed in claim 1 in which the encoding circuit includes a multiplex circuit for receiving the luminance information components from the signal sources and for generating the time-division multiplex encoded signal, said multiplex circuit comprising a switching stage controllable by means of a switching signal for selecting between the two signal sources, and a circuit for changing the duration for processing the luminance information, characterized in that the circuit for changing the duration is controllable by means of the switching signal for switching the signal compression or expansion time ratio between the first and the second part of a line period.

3. A data receiver suitable for use cooperation with a data generator as claimed in claim 2, in which the decoding circuit includes a circuit for changing the duration for processing the received luminance information, characterized in that the circuit for changing the duration is controllable by means of a second switching signal for switching the signal compression of expansion time ratio between a first part of a line period of the data receiver in which the signal comprising luminance information which substantially corresponds to the first luminance information is supplied and a second part in which the signal comprising luminance information which largely corresponds to the second luminance information is supplied.

4. A data receiver as claimed in claim 3 in which the decoding circuit furthermore includes a first and a second digital-to-analog converter for converting the digital signals obtained after the change in duration, characterized in that the first and the second digital-to-analog converter is controllable by means of the second switching signal for switching the clock pulse frequency.

5. A television system as claimed in claim 1, in which the signal from the first signal source and the signal from the second signal source also comprise chrominance information components, the encoding circuit being also suitable for a time-division multiplex encoding of the said signals with chrominance information being such that in the time-division multiplex encoded signal supplied to the output of the encoding circuit a first chrominance information during the said first part of a line period of the data generator corresponds to the chrominance information of the said part of a line period of the first signal source and that during the said second part of a line period of the data generator a second chrominance information corresponds to the chrominance information of the said part of a line period of the second signal source, and the decoding circuit being also suitable for supplying signals comprising chrominance information which substantially corresponds to the data produced by the signal sources in the data generator, these signals being such, that a signal comprising chrominance information which substantially corresponds to the first chrominance information, and a signal comprising chrominance information which largely corresponds to the second chrominance information is consecutively supplied during a line period of the data receiver, characterized in that the signal comprising the first chrominance information has a signal compression time ratio which is different from the corresponding ratio of the signal comprising the second chrominance information.

6. A data generator suitable for use in a television system as claimed in claim 5, in which the encoding circuit includes a multiplex circuit for receiving the luminance information components from the signal sources and for generating the time-division multiplex encoded signal, said multiplex circuit comprising a switching stage controllable by means of a switching signal for selecting between the two signal sources, a first circuit for changing the duration for processing the luminance information, and a second circuit for changing the duration for processing the chrominance information, characterized in that the first and second circuits for changing the corresponding durations are controllable by means of the switching signal for switching the signal compression time ratio between the first and second part of a line period.

7. A data receiver suitable for use in cooperation with a data generator as claimed in claim 6, in which the decoding circuit includes a first circuit for changing the duration for processing the received luminance information, and a second circuit for changing the duration for processing the received chrominance information, characterized in that the first and second circuits for changing the corresponding durations are controllable by means of a second switching signal for switching the signal compression or expansion time ratio between a first part of a line period of the data receiver in which the signals comprising luminance and chrominance information which substantially correspond to the first luminance and chrominance information are supplied and a second part in which the signals comprising luminance and chrominance information which substantially correspond to the second luminance and chrominance information are supplied.

8. A data receiver as claimed in claim 7 in which the decoding circuit furthermore includes a first and a second digital-to-analog converter for converting the digital signals obtained after the change in duration, characterized in that the first and the second digital-to-analog converter is controllable by means of the second switching signal for switching the clock pulse frequency.

9. A television system as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the signal compression or expansion time ratio of the signal comprising the first luminance information is greater than the corresponding ratio of the signal comprising the second luminance information and that the signal compression time ratio of the signal comprising the first chrominance information associated with the signal comprising the first luminance information is greater than the corresponding ratio of the signal comprising the second chrominance information associated with the signal comprising the second luminance information.

10. A television system as claimed in claim 9 which each chrominance information comprises two information components, the first chrominance information being present during a number of line periods per field which is smaller than the number of line periods in which the first luminance information is present characterized in that at least one information component of the second chrominance information is present during the number of line periods per field in which the second luminance information is present.

11. A television system as claimed in claim 9 which each chrominance information comprises two information components, characterized in that the signal compression time ratio of the signal comprising the first chrominance information is the same as for the two information components and that the signal compression time ratio of the signals comprising the second chrominance information is the same as for the two information components.