Method and apparatus for providing video and control to a monitor

• US 6,624,797 B1
• Filed: 03/29/1999
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ATI International SRL (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ledrew, Richard W., Sharma, Vijay, Wheeler, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOW, DOON Y
• Application Number:
  US09/280,359
• Time in Patent Office: 1,639 Days
• Field of Search: 345/3, 345/512, 345/102, 345/409, 345/158, 345/1.3, 345/1.2, 710/129, 710/3, 710/62, 710/63, 710/64, 710/65, 710/69, 710/70, 370/494, 439/638, 439/540.1, 439/362
• US Class Current: 345/1.2
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/045 using multiple communication channels, e.g. parallel and serial
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/047 using display data channel standard [DDC] communication
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for combining a control signal and a video signal on a standard video cable is disclosed. The video cable is connected to a display monitor in order to provide access and control functions to the monitor. In a particular implementation, a USB signal is transmitted with a digital video signal across a standard digital video connector.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting digital video and control signals to a video display, a method comprising the steps of:

receiving a Universal Serial Bus (USB) signal at a video connector, that is at least one of;

a Digital Flat Panel (DFP) connector, and a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) D connector;

receiving a digital video signal at said connector;

transporting the USB signal and said digital video signal through said connector for transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the USB signal and the digital video signal share a single pin in said connector that carries at least one of:

a ground signal for both said USB signal and said video signal;

a five-volt signal for both said USB signal and said video signal;

video signals multiplexed with USB signals.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of

receiving a digital video signal

coupling the USB signal and the digital video signal to form a coupled signal;

and

the step of transporting includes transmitting the USB signal as part of the coupled signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the coupled signal is physically coupled.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the physically coupled signal is physically coupled based on a pin assignment of the digital video connector.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the digital video connector has a first set of nodes assigned to the USB signals, and a second set of nodes assigned to the video signal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second set of nodes share at least one node.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one node is a common voltage reference node.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the coupled signal transports the USB signal and the digital signal simultaneously.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein the coupled signal transports the USB signal and the digital signal independently.

11. A video system comprising:

a video-out bus having X nodes coupled to a digital video connector;

a USB bus having 4 nodes coupled to the digital video connector;

the digital video connector having one of 20 pins and 24 pins.

12. The video system of claim 11, wherein X is equal to 17.

13. The video system of claim 12, wherein one node of the video-out bus, and one node of the USB bus are coupled to a common pin of the digital video connector.

14. The video system of claim 13, wherein each of the one node of the video-out bus and the one node of the USB bus are coupled to a common voltage reference port.

15. The video system of claim 14, wherein the common voltage reference port is to be connected to a common ground.

16. The video system of claim 11, wherein the digital video connector is one of a Digital Flat Panel (DFP) connector and a Digital Flat Panel DVI-D connector.

17. A data processing system comprising:

chassis connectors including a first and second USB connector;

a controller having a first and a second USB port;

a video controller having a first USB port coupled to the first USB port of the controller, a second USB port coupled to the first USB connector, a third USB port, and a video port.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a video-out connector coupled to the video port and the third USB port.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the video port and the video-out connector are a digital port and connector respectively.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the video-out connector is one of a Digital Flat Panel connector and a Digital Visual Interface DVI-D connector.

21. A monitor comprising:

a video-in bus having X nodes coupled to a digital video connector;

a control bus coupled to the digital video connector;

the digital video connector having one of 20 pins and 24 pins.

22. The monitor of claim 21, wherein the control bus is a USB bus having four nodes.

23. The monitor of claim 21, wherein X is equal to 17.

24. The monitor of claim 22, wherein one pin of the video-in connector is coupled to one node of the USB bus and to one node of the video-in bus.

25. The video system of claim 23, wherein the one pin of the video-in connector is to receive a common voltage signal.

26. A method of transmitting digital video and control signals to a video display, a method comprising the steps of:

receiving a control signal over X nodes;

transporting the control signal and a digital video signal to a digital video connector that is at least one of;

a Digital Flat Panel (DFP) connector and a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) connector for transmission to said video display.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the control signal and the digital video signal share a single pin in said digital video connector that carries at least one of:

a ground signal for both said USB signal and said video signal;

a five-volt signal for both said USB signal and said video signal;

digital video signals multiplexed with USB signals.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising the steps of

receiving a digital video signal;

coupling the control signal and the digital video signal to form a coupled signal; and

the step of transporting includes transmitting the control signal as part of the coupled signal.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the coupled signal is physically coupled.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of limiting over-voltage signals on at least one of the X nodes.