KVM video and OSD switch

• US 7,889,277 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2009
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: King, Randy J., Voll, Parker J.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US12/605,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20100050226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 725/141, 345/156, 345/698, 348/563, 348/564
• US Class Current: 348/563
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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 2370/24 Keyboard-Video-Mouse [KVM] switch

Abstract

A high speed video switch in a KVM system using discrete Radio Frequency (RF) switch circuits. The RF switch circuits are configured into a multiplexed circuit to route video signals from a selected host computer to a target monitor. Voltage converters are used to provide control signals of the proper voltage to the RF switch circuits. Peaking operational amplifiers are used to compensate for the roll-off effect caused by the video connectors. An On Screen Display (OSD) switch using the RF switches is used to rapidly switch between the OSD data and host computer video for display to the target operator control center monitor.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first means for emitting a video select signal;

a voltage converter having an input and an output, wherein the video select signal is coupled to the input of the voltage converter;

a second means comprising a control terminal, a video input terminal, and a video output terminal; and

a third means for generating first video signals,

wherein;

the video input terminal of the second means is configured to receive a video output of a first computer;

the output of the voltage converter is coupled to the control terminal of the second means to control a switching of the second means;

the second means is for switching at least a portion of the video output of the first computer with the first video signals such that output video signals of the second means are displayable on at least one video screen with the first video signals displayed at a first portion of the at least one video screen and the video output of the first computer is displayed at a second portion of the at least one video screen; and

the first portion of the at least one video screen is different than the second portion of the at least one video screen.

2. An apparatus configured to provide at least one processed video signal to be displayed on at least one screen, the apparatus comprising:

at least one electrical connector configured to receive at least one raw video signal;

an On Screen Display circuit configured to generate at least one first video signal, the at least one first video signal is to be displayed at one or more first portions of the at least one screen when the at least one processed video signal is displayed on the at least one screen; and

an On Screen Display switch module configured to receive the at least one first video signal and the at least one raw video signal, and further configured to switch between the at least one raw video signal and the at least one first video signal to produce the at least one processed video signal such that when the at least one processed video signal is displayed on the at least one screen and the at least one first video signal is displayed at the one or more first portions of the at least one screen, the at least one raw video signal is not displayed at the one or more first portions of the at least one screen.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the On Screen Display switch module comprises;

at least one first switch.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

the at least one first switch is configured to switch between the at least one raw video signal and the at least one first video signal such that at least a first part of the at least one raw video signal is not present in the at least one processed video signal and the at least the first part of the at least one raw video signal is replaced with the at least one first video signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

the at least one first switch comprises at least one radio frequency switch.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

the On Screen Display switch module further comprises;

a switch control mechanism coupled to the at least one first switch.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the switch control mechanism comprises at least one logic gate.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the On Screen Display circuit is configured to generate at least one of text or graphics; and

the at least one first video signal comprises the at least one of the text or the graphics.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the at least one raw video signal comprise at least one first horizontal line of video data;

the On Screen Display switch module is configured to produce the at least one processed video signal by switching out at least a portion of the at least one first horizontal line of video data and switching in the at least one first video signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a master controller configured to control the On Screen Display Circuit and the On Screen Display switch module.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the master controller is configured to enable an On Screen Display;

the On Screen Display circuit is configured to generate the at least one first video signal when the On Screen Display is enabled by the master controller;

the On Screen Display switch module is further configured to switch between the at least one raw video signal and the at least one first video signal to produce the at least one processed video signal when the On Screen Display is enabled by the master controller; and

the On Screen Display switch module is configured such that the at least one processed video signal comprises the at least one raw video signal when the On Screen Display is not enabled.

12. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the On Screen Display switch module is further configured such that the at least one processed video signal has a video rate of up to 2048×

1536 at approximately 85 Hertz.

13. A video switching device configured to provide at least part of a first video component from one of two or more computers to a target video destination, the video switching device comprising:

an On Screen Display generator configured to provide a second video component when an On Screen Display is enabled;

an On Screen Display switch configured to switch, when the On Screen Display is enabled, between the first video component and the second video component to generate at least one portion of one or more horizontal lines of an output video data, wherein the On Screen Display is configured to switch between the first video component and the second video component such that the first video component is switched on while the second video component is switched off; and

one or more output connectors configured to provide the output video data to the target video destination,

wherein;

the On Screen Display switch is further configured such that the output video data comprises the first video component when the On Screen Display is not enabled.

14. The video switching device of claim 13, wherein:

the first video component comprises a first red video component, a first green video component, and a first blue video component;

the On Screen Display switch is configured such that at least part of the first red video component, at least part of the first green video component, and at least part of the first blue video component are removed from the output video data when the On Screen Display is enabled and replaced the at least part of the first red video component, the at least part of the first green video component, and the at least part of the first blue video component by the second video signal.

15. The video switching device of claim 13, wherein:

the On Screen Display switch comprises one or more switches configured to switch between the first video component and the second video component.

16. The video switching device of claim 15, wherein:

the On Screen Display switch further comprises;

a controlling logic module configured to control the switching of the one or more switches.

17. The video switching device of claim 15, wherein:

the one or more switches comprise one or more radio frequency switches.

18. The video switching device of claim 13, wherein:

the On Screen Display switch is further configured such that the output video data has a video rate of up to 2048×

1536 at approximately 85 Hertz.

19. A keyboard, video, mouse switching device for routing at least part of first video data from two or more host computers to a target video destination, the keyboard, video, mouse switching device comprising:

a master controller;

one or more electrical connectors configured to receive the first video data from the two or more host computers;

one or more video multiplexers configured to received the first video data and generate computer video data by switching between the first video data from the two or more host computers;

an On Screen Display video circuit configured to generated On Screen Display data; and

an On Screen Display video switch configured to receive the computer video data from the one or more video multiplexers and further configured to remove a first portion of the computer video data and insert the On Screen Display data in place of the first portion of the computer video data to create output video data.

20. The keyboard, video, mouse switching device of claim 19, wherein:

the On Screen Display video switch comprises one or more radio frequency switches.

21. The keyboard, video, mouse switching device of claim 19, wherein:

the one or more video multiplexers and the On Screen Display video switch are further configured such that the output video data has a video rate of up to 2048×

1536 at approximately 85 Hertz.