Routing switcher

• US 5,144,548 A
• Filed: 07/13/1989
• Issued: 09/01/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Iris Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Iris Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Salandro, Jerry R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trammell, Jim
• Application Number:
  US07/379,097
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 364/188, 364/138, 364/140, 364/900 MS File, 364/191, 340/825.83, 357/45, 370/60.1, 370/54, 370/94.3, 370/62, 379/92, 379/96, 379/53
• US Class Current: 700/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0286 Programmable, customizable or modifiable circuits by programmable non-printed jumper connections H05K3/222
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/14 Structural association of two or more printed circuits providing electric connection to or between printed circuits H05K1/11, H01R12/00

Abstract

A computer routing band switcher is controlled by icons on a display screen which are programmable to represent any one of a number of devices, which can have multiple inputs and outputs, connected to a cross-point switching matrix. Routing is implemented by selection through use of a touch screen or a mouse of an icon representing a desired source device followed by one or more icons representing desired destination devices. In response to inputs through use of the icons, the computer generates control signals for the switching matrix which, instead of cables, utilizes printed circuit boards with a high density pattern of input and output signal tracks separated by shielding tracks and selectively interconnected by a plurality of modular cross-point switching units arranged together with the output tracks in groups, with only one unit in each group connected to any one input track, but with all of the units in each group connected to all of the output tracks. Additional functions such as adding or deleting devices from a signal route, patching a device into a signal route, storing and implementing frequently used signal routes, breaking away to other sources, either for video and or one or more audio channels, and controlling devices, are all implemented through manipulation of icons.

Claims

1. A routing switcher for connecting selected source devices with selected destination devices:

a plurality of terminals assigned as source terminals to each of which a source device is connectable;

a plurality of terminals assigned as destination terminals to each of which a destination device is connectable;

a cross-point switching matrix selectively connecting selected destination terminals to selected source terminals in response to control signals;

a display device displaying a plurality of device icons;

input means through which icons on said display device are selected; and

a digital computer connected to said cross-point switching matrix, said display device and said input means and programmed to assign selected of said device icons on the display device to selected source terminals as source icons and to assign other of said device icons to selected destination terminals as destination icons, and to be responsive to the subsequent selection of a source icon and a destination icon to generate control signals operating said cross-point switching matrix to connect the selected source terminal to the selected destination terminal to form a signal route.

2. The routing switcher of claim 1 wherein said digital computer is programmed to generate control signals operating said cross-point switching matrix to connect the selected source terminal to each of a plurality of destination terminals represented by destination icons selected through said input means.

3. The routing switcher of claim 2 wherein said digital computer is further programmed to in response to reselection of a selected destination icon to generate a control signal operating said cross-point switching matrix to disconnect the destination terminal assigned to said reselected destination icon from the signal route.

4. The routing switcher of claim 3 wherein said digital computer is further programmed in response to reselection of a source icon or the last destination icon in the signal route to generate control signals operating the cross-point switching matrix to disconnect the source and all of the destination terminals to which device icons in the signal route are assigned.

5. The routing switcher of claim 1 wherein said digital computer is programmed to generate control signals connecting each of a plurality of selected source terminals represented by source icons selected through said input means to a different at least one selected destination terminal represented by a destination icon selected through said input means, whereby plural source terminals are connected to destination terminals at the same time to form plural separate signal routes.

6. The routing switcher of claim 5 wherein said digital computer is further programmed to generate separate route identifying indicia on the icons on said display device visually identifying the icons associated with each of the plural separate signal routes.

7. The routing switcher of claim 5 wherein said digital computer is further programmed to assign a selected device icon on the display device to both at least one source terminal and at least one destination terminal and to generate control signals operating said cross-point switching matrix to connect all of the source terminals to which the selected device icon is assigned to the matrix when said selected device icon is selected as the first device icon for a signal route and to generate control signals operating said cross-point switching matrix to connect in the matrix all of the destination terminals to which the selected icon is assigned when said selected device icon is selected other than first in establishing a signal route.

8. The routing switcher of claim 7 wherein said display device also displays a job complete icon selectable through said input means, wherein said digital computer is programmed in response to selection of said complete job icon through said input means to assign the next device icon selected as the source icon for another signal route, and to generate control signals operating the cross-point switching matrix to connect the at least one source terminal to which the next device icon is assigned to the matrix, and to generate in response to selection of additional device icons control signals operating the cross-point switching matrix to connect each of the at least one destination terminals to which said additional device icons are assigned to the matrix until said complete job icon is again selected.

9. The routing switcher of claim 8 wherein said digital computer is programmed to store said control signals generated in response to the selection of device icons in a buffer, and in response to selection of said job complete icon to send said control signals stored in said buffer to said cross-point switching matrix to operate said matrix to connect the at least one source terminal to which said next device icon is assigned to each of the at least one destination terminals to which said additional device icons are assigned to implement said another signal route.

10. The routing switcher of claim 8 wherein said display device also displays an append icon selectable through said input means and wherein said digital computer is further programmed in response to selection of said append icon and a source icon which forms part of a designated signal route, to generate control signals operating said cross-point switching matrix to add to the designated signal route additional destination terminals represented by additional destination icons selected through the input means.

11. The routing switcher of claim 5 wherein said display device includes control icons selectable by said input means to implement selected operating modes and wherein said digital computer is programmed to respond to selection of a control icon to generate said control signals operating said cross-point switching matrix in accordance with the selected operating mode.

12. The routing switcher of claim 11 wherein said control icons include an append icon and wherein said digital computer is programmed in response to selection of said append icon and a source icon which forms part of a designated signal route to generate control signals connecting the source terminal represented by the selected icon with the terminals represented by each additional destination icon selected through said input means.

13. The routing switcher of claim 12 wherein said digital computer is programmed to store selected signal routes each comprising a source terminal, at least one destination terminal, and an assigned macro icon for selecting that route and when said macro icon for one of said stored routes is selected, to generate control signals operating said cross-point switching matrix to connect the source terminal to all of said destination terminals in the selected stored signal route without individual selection through said input means of the assigned source and destination icons.

14. The routing switcher of claim 13 wherein said assigned macro icon is a device icon assigned as a smart icon which device icon is also assigned as a source or destination icon, and wherein said command icons include a smart enable icon, said digital computer being programmed to respond to selection of said smart icon when said smart enable icon has been selected to generate control signals operating the cross-point switching matrix to connect the terminals of the stored signal route represented by said smart icon, and when said smart enable icon has not been selected, to respond to selection of said smart icon as a source or destination icon in generating control signals for operating said cross-point switching matrix.

15. The routing switcher of claim 1 for use with a patch device wherein said display device further displays a patch icon assigned to both a source terminal and a destination terminal with the destination terminal assigned to the patch icon connected to the input of the patch device and the source terminal assigned to the patch icon connected to the output of the patch device, and wherein said digital computer is further programmed to, in response to the selection of the patch icon, to generate control signals operating said cross-point switching matrix to disconnect the selected destination from the selected source and instead to connect the selected source terminal to the destination terminal assigned to the patch device and to connect the selected destination terminal to the source terminal assigned to the patch device, whereby a signal patch route is established from he selected source terminal through the patch device to the selected destination terminal.

16. The routing switcher of claim 15 wherein said digital computer is further programmed to generate control signals operating said cross-point switching matrix to connect additional destination terminals represented by destination icons selected through said input means to said source terminal assigned to the patch device.

17. The routing switcher of claim 16 wherein said digital computer is programmed to store selected signal routes each comprising a source terminal, at least one destination terminal, and an assigned macro icon for selecting that route and when said macro icon for one of said stored routes is selected, to generate control signals operating said cross-point switching matrix to connect the source terminal to all of said destination terminals in the selected stored signal route without individual selection signals operating said cross-point switching matrix to connect additional destination terminals represented by destination icons selected through said input means to said source terminal assigned to the patch device.

18. The routing switch of claim 1 wherein said digital computer is further programmed to assign a source icon designated through said input means as a multi-channel source icon assigned to a set of said source terminals, to assign a destination icon designated through said input means as a multi-channel destination icon assigned to a set of destination terminals, and in response to subsequent selection of said multi-channel source icon and said multi-channel destination icon through said input means to generate control signals operating said cross-point switching matrix to connect each individual source terminal in said set of source terminals to a separate individual destination terminal in said set of destination terminals to form a multi-channel signal route.

19. The routing switcher of claim 18 wherein said digital computer is further programmed to assign additional destination icons as multi-channel destination icons each assigned to a separate set of destination terminals, and in response to the subsequent selection of plural multi-channel destination icons to generate control signals operating said cross-point switching network to connect each destination terminal in each separate set of destination terminals represented by said plural multi-channel destination icons to one of the terminals in said set of source terminals.

20. The routing switcher of claim 19 wherein said multiple terminals assigned to said multi channel source icon and multi channel destination icons include terminals for video channels and left and right audio channels, and wherein said digital computer is further programmed to generate a breakaway display by which at least one of said channels can be selected through said input means, and in response to selection of a new source icon and at least one destination icon in the multi channel signal route to generate control signals operating said cross point switching matrix to disconnect the terminals assigned to the selected destination for the selected channel icons from the multi channel source icon and to connect those terminals assigned to the selected destination icons for that channel instead to the terminals corresponding channel assigned to the new source icon.