Display apparatus for visual communication

• US 6,577,337 B1
• Filed: 12/01/1998
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kang, Min-Su
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Ngoc-Yen, VU, NGOC YEN T
• Application Number:
  US09/203,668
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.04, 348/207, 348/211, 348/212, 348/222, 348/231, 348/232, 348/233, 348/552, 348/207.99, 348/207.1, 348/211.99, 348/211.1, 348/211.2, 348/211.3, 348/211.4, 709/253, 709/321, 709/322, 709/323, 710/62, 710/63, 710/65, 710/69-74
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of a video and audio data signal processing with a display apparatus for a visual communication systems. The display apparatus is coupled to a universal serial bus (USB) hub root and a host equipped with a communication interface. A digital camera and a memory are coupled to a digital signal processor (DSP). The digital video data signal generated from the digital camera is stored in the memory and directly processed in the DSP. A USB hub system receives the video data signal with parallel and transmits the video data signal to the host with serial by a USB protocol. The USB hub system also receives the audio data signal with serial and transmits the audio data signal to the DSP with parallel. In the display apparatus for the visual communication systems, the DSP receives the digital video data signal acquired from the digital camera and directly processes the digital video data signal. Therefore, the display apparatus executes the visual communication with more clear video data signal by a simple connection and a noise exclusion. The display apparatus also avoids overlapping data conversion devices such as sound controller and image capture device in these video and audio data signals transmission with the host.

Claims

1. A monitor for a visual communication system, said monitor being coupled to a host included in the visual communication system, and said monitor being provided with a universal serial bus (USB) hub in order to enable visual communication through the host, said monitor comprising:

a digital camera for generating a digital video data signal;

a memory for storing the digital video data signal;

a digital signal processor(DSP) for controlling a digital camera operation and a read/write operation of the memory while controlling digital video data signal transference between the memory and the host; and

a USB control unit for controlling digital video data signal transmission between the host and the DSP through at least one USB hub port, wherein the DSP comprises an interface unit for operating parallel data transmission with the USB control unit and the USB control unit comprises;

a plurality of USB hub ports;

a hub repeater for executing serial data transmission with the plurality of hub ports;

a hub controller for controlling a data transfer operation in response to a control signal of the DSP; and

a serial-parallel/parallel-serial converter for executing serial to parallel and parallel to serial data conversion between the DSP and the hub repeater.

2. The monitor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the interface unit comprises a general I/O port.

3. The monitor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the interface unit comprises:

a video data signal transmitter for transferring the digital video data signal from the memory to the USB control unit; and

an audio data signal transmitter for receiving an audio data signal from outside and transmitting the audio data signal to the USB control unit.

4. The monitor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the DSP comprises an address generator for generating an address signal to control the read/write operation of the memory.

5. The monitor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the monitor further comprises:

at least two additional USB hub ports respectively connected to a keyboard and a mouse.

6. The monitor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the DSP receives a control signal supplied from the host through the USB control unit so as to execute a visual communication mode/common mode.

7. The monitor as set forth in claim 2, wherein the DSP responsive to the control signal executes a digital video data signal processing in a visual communication mode and executes an audio data signal processing in a common mode.

8. The monitor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the DSP comprises:

an analog/digital(A/D) converter for converting an analog audio signal into a digital audio data signal; and

a digital/analog(D/A) converter for converting the digital audio data signal into the analog audio signal.

9. The monitor as set forth in claim 8, wherein the monitor comprises:

a microphone connected with the A/D converter;

an amplifier connected with the D/A converter for amplifying the analog audio signal; and

a speaker unit connected with the amplifier.

10. The monitor as set forth in claim 9, wherein the DSP further comprises means for adjusting a sound effect associated with the audio data signal.

11. A monitor comprising:

a digital camera for generating a digital video data signal;

a memory for storing the digital video data signal;

a digital signal processor(DSP) for controlling a digital camera operation and a read/write operation of the memory while controlling digital video data signal transference between the memory and a host;

a USB control unit for controlling digital video data signal transmission between said host and the DSP, said USB control unit comprising;

a plurality of USB hub ports, one of said USB hub ports being connected to said host;

a hub repeater for executing serial data transmission with the plurality of hub ports;

a hub controller for controlling a data transfer operation in response to a control signal of the DSP; and

a serial-parallel/parallel-serial converter for executing serial to parallel and parallel to serial data conversion between the DSP and the hub repeater.

12. The monitor as set forth in claim 11, said USB control unit further comprising:

a second one of said USB hub ports being connected to a keyboard; and

a third one of said USB hub ports being connected to a mouse.

13. The monitor as set forth in claim 11, wherein the DSP receives an audio data signal from the host and executes a sound effect function, when said control signal is not indicative of a visual communication mode.

14. The monitor as set forth in claim 11, wherein the DSP determines whether a control signal received from said host is a control signal indicative of a visual communication mode, said DSP executing a digital video data signal processing when said control signal is indicative of the visual communication mode and executes an audio data signal processing when said control signal is not indicative of a visual communication mode.

15. The monitor as set forth in claim 14, wherein the DSP controls said digital camera, controls a read/write operation of said memory for reading or storing the digital video data signal and processes an audio data signal acquired from a microphone, when said control signal is indicative of the visual communication mode.

16. The monitor as set forth in claim 15, wherein the DSP transfers, in parallel format, the digital video data signal read from the memory and the audio data signal acquired from the microphone to said USB control unit.

17. The monitor as set forth in claim 16, wherein the USB control unit performs parallel to serial conversion of the digital video data signal and the audio data signal for transmitting serial video and audio data to said host.