Apparatus for performing plug and play, digital A/V system using the same and method thereof

• US 7,711,883 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Son, Hyeong Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Sorrell; Eron J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan; Dean
• Application Number:
  US11/313,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20060143353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/302
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB

Abstract

An apparatus for performing a plug and play function, a digital image processing system using the same, and a method thereof are provided. The apparatus includes: a device searching module for searching a connected device; a connection state analyzing module for determining whether the searched device is previously connected by comparing the type of device and a previous connection state; a storing unit for storing information about the type and the previous connection state; an information managing module for searching detail information of data stored in the connected device; a reproducing function verifying module for determining whether the data stored in the connected external device is processable; and a plug and play module for displaying the determination result and a selection menu for controlling the connected device to perform a target function according to a user'"'"'s input.

Claims

1. An apparatus of performing a plug and play function for a digital television, the apparatus comprising:

a device searching module configured to search an external device physically connected to the digital television through a predetermined interface;

a storing unit configured to store a device type and a connection state of the external device which was previously searched;

a connection state analyzing module configured to determine whether the searched external device from the device searching module was previously connected to the digital television to perform the plug and play function by comparing the device type and the connection state of the searched external device with the device type and the connection state in the storing unit in response to detecting the physical connection of the searched external device to the digital television;

a reproducing function verifying module configured to determine whether data stored in the searched external device is processable by the digital television and to generate a determination result when the device type and the connection state of the searched external device does not match with the device type and the connection type in the storing unit; and

a plug and play module configured to display the determination result from the reproducing function module and a selection menu to control the searched external device to perform a target function according to a user'"'"'s input when the data in the search external device is processable, and to terminate when the device type and the connection state of the external device matches with the device type and connection type in the storing unit or the data in the searched external device can not be processed.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection state analyzing module is configured to determine whether data stored in an internal device disposed in the digital television is updated or not, to output update information if the data stored in the internal device is updated, and to enable the plug and play module to perform the plug and play function for the updated data stored in the internal device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the digital television is a high definition television.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined interface is a universal serial bus.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined interface is IEEE 1394.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the internal device or the searched external device includes a hard disk driver.

7. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the internal device or the searched external device is a digital versatile disc driver.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the external device is a memory card.

25. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an information managing module configured to search detail information of data stored in the physically connected external device and to output a corresponding search result, wherein the reproducing function verifying module is configured to determine whether the data is processable based upon the search result.

9. A digital television including a plug and play apparatus comprising:

a device searching module configured to search an external device physically connected to the digital television through a predetermined interface;

a storing unit configured to store a device type and a connection state of the external device which was previously searched;

a connection state analyzing module configured to determine whether the searched external device from the device searching module was previously connected to the digital television to perform the plug and play function by comparing the device type and the connection state of the searched external device with the device type and the connection state in the storing unit in response to detecting the physical connection of the searched external device to the digital television;

a reproducing function verifying module configured to determine whether data stored in the searched external device is processable by the digital television and to generate a determination result when the device type and the connection state of the searched external device does not match with the device type and the connection type in the storing unit; and

a plug and play module configured to display the determination result from the reproducing function module and a selection menu to control the searched external device to perform a target function according to a user'"'"'s input when the data in the search external device is processable, and to terminate when the device type and the connection state of the external device matches with the device type and connection type in the storing unit or the data in the searched external device can not be processed.

10. The digital television according to claim 9, wherein the connection state analyzing module is configured to determine whether data stored in an internal device disposed in the digital television is updated or not to output update information if the data stored in the internal device is updated and to enable the plug and play module to perform the plug and play function for the updated data stored in the internal device.

11. The digital television according to claim 10, wherein the digital television is a high definition television.

12. The digital television according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined interface is a universal serial bus.

13. The digital television according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined interface is IEEE 1394.

14. The digital television according to claim 10, wherein the internal device or the searched external device includes a hard disk driver.

15. The digital television according to claim 10, wherein the internal device or the searched external device is a digital versatile disc driver.

16. The digital television according to claim 10, wherein the searched external device is a memory card.

26. The digital television according to claim 9, further comprising:

an information managing module configured to search detail information of data stored in the physically connected external device and to output a corresponding search result, wherein which the reproducing function verifying module is configured to determine whether the data is processable based upon the search result.

17. A method of performing a plug and play function for a digital television, comprising:

periodically searching, by a device searching module, an external device physically connected to the digital television through a predetermined interface;

storing a device type and a connection state of the external device which was previously searched in a storm unit;

determining whether the searched external device from the searching module was previously connected to the digital television to perform the plug and play function by comparing the device type and the connection state of the searched external device with the device type and the connection state in the storing unit in response to detecting the physical connection of the searched external device to the digital television;

determining, by a reproducing function verifying module, whether data stored in the searched external device is processable by the digital television and generating a determination result when the device type and the connection state of the searched external device does not match with the device type and the connection type in the storm unit; and

displaying, by the plug and play module, the determination result and a selection menu from the reproducing function verifying module to control the physically connected device and performing a target function according to a user'"'"'s input when the data in the search external device is processable, and terminating when the device type and the connection state of the external device matches with the device type and connection type in the storing unit or the data in the searched external device can not be processed.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether data stored in an internal device in the digital television is updated or not; and

if the data stored in the internal device is updated, performing the plug and play function for the updated data stored in the internal device.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the digital television is a high definition television.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined interface is a universal serial bus.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined interface is IEEE 1394.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the internal device or the searched external device includes a hard disk driver.

23. The method according to claim 17, wherein the internal device or the searched external device is a digital versatile disc driver.

24. The method according to claim 17, wherein the searched external device is a memory card.

27. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

searching detail information of data stored in the physically connected external device and outputting a corresponding search result, wherein the step of determining comprises determining based upon the search result.

28. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

storing the detected device type and a connection state of the searched external device.