Method and apparatus for analyzing a digitally converted analogue signal

• US 7,271,843 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Issued: 09/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Lares, Roland, Rothermel, Albrecht
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak; Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US10/483,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20040174461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,912 Days
• Field of Search: 348/194, 348/540, 348/541, 348/531, 348/533, 386 48- 50, 386/85, 386/89, 386/90, 331/20, 702/71, 702/72
• US Class Current: 348/540
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/10 Separation of line synchronising signal from frame synchronising signal or vice versa

Abstract

A method for obtaining line synchronization information items from a video signal is proposed. The inventive method is based on convolving the relevant part of an analogue video line signal with a pattern function. The result of the convolution operation is further processed to determine the time instants of the occurrence of the horizontal sync signals. The time instants are subsequently filtered to generate horizontal pulses. A video line memory allows to utilize subsequent horizontal sync signals for calculating the horizontal sync pulse of a current video line. The invention also relates to an apparatus for carrying out the method.

Claims

1. Method for correcting line synchronization information of an analogue video line signal by

(a) converting the analogue video line signal into a digital video signal,

(b) analyzing the entire or a relevant part of the digital video signal comprising the line synchronization pulses to determine time instants defining the temporal position of the line synchronization pulse included in the analogue video line signal,

comprising the following steps:

(c) storing a predetermined number of video lines in a line delay, and

(d) calculating a time instant for a video line preceding the currently received video line to mark the temporal position of the synchronization information of the video line, wherein the video line associated with the calculated time instant precedes the currently received video line by the predetermined number of video lines in the line delay, and wherein the time instant is a function of the line synchronization pulse positions of video lines including the currently received, at least one preceding and at least one succeeding video line.

2. Method according to claim 1, further comprising

(e) convolving the entire or the relevant part of the digital video signal with a pattern function to generate a result function of the convolution operation, and

(f) analyzing the result function of the convolution operation of step (e) to determine time instants defining the temporal position of the line synchronization pulse.

3. Method according to claim 2, comprising using an idealized tine synchronization pulse as the pattern function.

4. Method according to claim 1, comprising calculating the filtered time instant for a currently displayed video line by interpolation of the time instants determined for video lines preceding and following the currently displayed video line.

5. Method according to claim 4, comprising calculating the filtered time instant for a currently displayed video line by linear interpolation of the time instants determined for video lines preceding and following the currently displayed video line.

6. Method according to claim 1, comprising

filtering the time instants by an FIR filter having a set of predetermined filter constants.

7. Method according to claim 6, comprising

storing the defined time instants in associated delay elements,

wherein the time instants represent the time constant of the delay element, and

wherein the delay elements are incorporated in the FIR filter.

8. Apparatus for generating a line synchronization pulse from a analogue video line signal, comprising means for converting the analogue video line signal into a digital video signal and means for analyzing the entire or a relevant part of the digital video signal comprising the line synchronization pulses to determine time instants defining the temporal position of the line synchronization pulse included in the video line signal, comprising

a line delay for storing a predetermined number of video line signals, and by means for calculating a time instant for a video line preceding the currently received video line to mark the temporal position of the synchronization information of the video line wherein the video line associated with the calculated time instant precedes the currently received video line by the predetermined number of video lines in the line delay, and wherein the time instant is a function of the line synchronization pulse positions of video lines including the currently received, at least one preceding and at least one succeeding video line.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, comprising means for convolving the entire or the relevant part of the digital video signal with a pattern function.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8, comprising an FIR filter having a set of predetermined filter constants.

11. Apparatus according to claim 8, comprising a synchronization pulse detector to measure the time difference between two subsequent synchronization pulses.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the synchronization pulse detector comprises two counters which are alternatingly reset.

13. Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the synchronization pulse detector comprises a comparator a first input of which is selectively connectable with one of the counters, and the second input of which is provided with a predicted timing value generated by the FIR filter.

14. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the synchronization pulse detector supplies the measured time difference of two subsequent clock cycles in form of an integer number and a fraction of cycles of a system clock.