Multiple sink configuration supporting HDMI-CEC

• US 7,979,590 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2008
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valens Semiconductor Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Valens Semiconductor Ltd.
• Inventors: Lida, Eyran, Banet, Nadav
• Primary Examiner(s): TSENG, CHENG YUAN
• Application Number:
  US12/193,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20090295997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,059 Days
• Field of Search: 710/31
• US Class Current: 710/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/06 Consumer Electronics Control, i.e. control of another device by a display or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/22 Detection of presence or absence of input display information or of connection or disconnection of a corresponding information source
• 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

Methods and devices for enabling a chain of displays to communicate with HDMI-CEC sources using HDMI-CEC. Also disclosed is a display device supporting picture-in-picture through two HDMI-CEC input ports, where each port communicates using HDMI-CEC with an HDMI-CEC source.

Claims

1. A network supporting HDMI-CEC comprising:

a first HDMI-CEC display device chained to a second HDMI-CEC display device;

the first HDMI-CEC display device is coupled to an HDMI-CEC cluster tree comprising at least one HDMI-CEC source device; and

means for enabling the first HDMI-CEC display device and the second HDMI-CEC display device to control and communicate with the HDMI-CEC cluster tree using HDMI-CEC, as if only one of the HDMI-CEC display devices was coupled to the HDMI-CEC cluster tree.

2. The network of claim 1, further comprising means for dynamically manipulating one or more of the HDMI-CEC network views of one or more of the HDMI-CEC source devices located in the HDMI-CEC cluster tree.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the HDMI-CEC cluster tree comprises a first HDMI-CEC source device and a second HDMI-CEC source device;

and further comprising means for enabling the second HDMI-CEC display device to communicate with the second HDMI-CEC source device using HDMI-CEC while the first HDMI-CEC display device receives a video stream from the first HDMI-CEC source device using HDMI-CEC.

4. The network of claim 1, further comprising means for dynamically manipulating the HDMI-CEC network views of the HDMI-CEC display devices.

5. The network of claim 4, further comprising means for eliminating one or more hierarchic levels from the HDMI-CEC network view.

6. The network of claim 4, further comprising means for disconnecting an HDMI-CEC device from the HDMI-CEC network view.

7. The network of claim 4, wherein the HDMI-CEC display device operates the required HDMI-CEC source device using HDMI-CEC set-stream-path message.

8. The network of claim 4, wherein a user operates the network utilizing the HDMI-CEC one touch play feature.

9. The network of claim 8, further comprising logic for selecting which of the available HDMI-CEC display devices to connect with which of the HDMI-CEC source devices.

10. The network of claim 8, further comprising a menu to enable the user to select the desired HDMI-CEC display device to be connected to the HDMI-CEC source device.

11. A manipulating switch located within a first HDMI-CEC display device coupled to an HDMI-CEC cluster tree comprising at least one HDMI-CEC source device;

the manipulating switch within the first HDMI-CEC display device is also coupled to a second HDMI-CEC display device;

wherein the manipulating switch enables the first HDMI-CEC display device and the second HDMI-CEC display device to control and communicate with the HDMI-CEC cluster tree using HDMI-CEC as if only one of the HDMI-CEC display devices was coupled to the HDMI-CEC cluster tree.

12. The manipulating switch of claim 11, wherein the HDMI-CEC cluster tree further comprises at least one HDMI-CEC switch.

13. The manipulating switch of claim 11, wherein the manipulating switch dynamically manipulates the HDMI-CEC network views of the HDMI-CEC display devices.

14. The manipulating switch of claim 13, wherein the manipulating switch eliminates one or more hierarchic levels from the HDMI-CEC network view.

15. The manipulating switch of claim 13, wherein the manipulating switch is configured to disconnect an HDMI-CEC device from the HDMI-CEC network view.

16. The manipulating switch of claim 13, wherein a user operates the HDMI-CEC cluster tree utilizing the HDMI-CEC one touch play feature.

17. The manipulating switch of claim 16, further comprising logic for selecting which of the available HDMI-CEC display devices to connect with which of the HDMI-CEC source devices.

18. The manipulating switch of claim 16, further comprising a menu to enable the user to select the desired HDMI-CEC display device to be connected to the HDMI-CEC source device.

19. The manipulating switch of claim 11, wherein the HDMI-CEC cluster tree comprises a first and a second HDMI-CEC source device and the first and the second HDMI-CEC display devices configured to control the first and the second HDMI-CEC source devices as long as none of the HDMI-CEC source devices transmits a TMDS communication;

and when the first HDMI-CEC display device receives a TMDS communication from the first HDMI-CEC source device utilizing HDMI-CEC, the second HDMI-CEC display device can still communicate with the second HDMI-CEC source device utilizing HDMI-CEC.

20. A display device comprising a display element and a manipulating switch element;

the display element comprises at least two HDMI-CEC input interfaces coupled to the manipulating switch, each HDMI-CEC input interfaces operative to receive data from a different HDMI-CEC cluster tree comprising at least one HDMI-CEC source device, and the different HDMI-CEC cluster trees at least partially overlap; and

the manipulating switch operative to manipulate the HDMI-CEC communications to and from the HDMI-CEC source devices, and to control and communicate with the HDMI-CEC source devices using HDMI-CEC;

the display element configured to support a picture-in-picture feature utilizing streams received from the HDMI-CEC cluster trees.

21. The display of claim 20, wherein the display device controls and routes the outputs of at least two HDMI-CEC source devices to the at least two HDMI-CEC interfaces, using HDMI-CEC.

22. The display of claim 21, wherein the picture-in-picture feature is operated utilizing the remote control of the display device.

23. The display of claim 21, wherein the HDMI-CEC interface operates the required HDMI-CEC source device using an HDMI-CEC set-stream-path message.

24. The display of claim 20, wherein the physical addresses assigned to the shared HDMI-CEC source devices in the various HDMI-CEC cluster trees are the same.

25. The display of claim 24, wherein the display device is configured to control the shared HDMI-CEC source devices from either HDMI-CEC interface.

26. A method for enabling picture-in-picture in a display device comprising at least two HDMI-CEC input ports, the method comprising:

defining an HDMI-CEC network view for each HDMI-CEC input port of the display device;

each of the HDMI-CEC input ports operative to receive data from a different HDMI-CEC cluster tree;

controlling the HDMI-CEC messages transmitted between each HDMI-CEC input port of the HDMI-CEC display device and its HDMI-CEC cluster tree;

controlling the HDMI-CEC messages transmitted between the HDMI-CEC cluster trees; and

enabling the selection of which of the HDMI-CEC source devices to route to which of the HDMI-CEC input ports using HDMI-CEC messages.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of displaying picture-in-picture utilizing the streams received from the HDMI-CEC source devices.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the streams are received using HDMI-CEC set-stream-path messages.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of disconnecting an HDMI-CEC device from the HDMI-CEC network view.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of utilizing a remote control of the display device for controlling the picture-in-picture feature.

31. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of eliminating one or more hierarchic levels from the HDMI-CEC network view.