SECAM-L detector and video broadcast system having the same

• US 8,203,652 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Himax Technologies Ltd. (Himax Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Himax Technologies Ltd. (Himax Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lin, Hung-Shih
• Primary Examiner(s): SHANG, ANNAN Q
• Application Number:
  US11/898,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20090073317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 348553-558, 348/643, 348/644, 348/529, 725/68, 725/131, 725/139, 725/151
• US Class Current: 348/529
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/08 Separation of synchronising signals from picture signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/455 Demodulation-circuits

Abstract

A method for detecting SECAM-L signals is disclosed. First, a SECAM-L signal is received and demodulated into a demodulation signal. Then high frequency components of the demodulation signal are filtered out and a low frequency signal, including many sync pulses and many data pulses, is obtained. Next, the low frequency signal is inversion into an inversion signal, having many inversion sync pulses and many inversion data pulses. Afterwards a voltage level of the inversion signal is detected continuously whether it is a lowest level. After that, the lowest level is determined whether belonging to the inversion sync pulses when the voltage level of the inversion signal is the lowest level, and a detection signal is outputted. When the lowest level belongs to the inversion sync pulses, a voltage level of the detection signal is high, and the demodulation signal is an inversion SECAM-L demodulation signal.

Claims

1. A method for detecting SECAM-L signals, comprising:

utilizing a tuner to receive a video signal and demodulate the video signal into a demodulation signal comprising high-frequency (HF) components, a plurality of sync pulses and data pulses;

utilizing a SECAM-L detector to filter the high-frequency (HF) components of the demodulation signal;

utilizing the SECAM-L detector to invert the filtered demodulation signal into an inversion signal, the inversion signal comprising a plurality of inversion sync pulses and inversion data pulses in correspondence to the demodulation signal;

utilizing the SECAM-L detector to continuously detect whether the inversion signal is at a lowest level; and

when the inversion signal is at the lowest level, utilizing the SECAM-L detector to determine whether the inversion signal at the lowest level belongs to the inversion sync pulses and then send out a detection signal;

wherein when the inversion signal at the lowest level belongs to the inversion sync pulses, the detection signal is at a high level, and the demodulation signal is an inversion SECAM-L demodulation signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing the SECAM-L detector to filter the detection signal to reduce interference in the voltage level of the detection signal.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lowest level is a voltage level of the inversion sync pluses.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of utilizing the SECAM-L detector to continuously detect whether the inversion signal is at a lowest level further comprises:

utilizing the SECAM-L detector to subtract a voltage level of the inversion signal by a constant voltage level to obtain a difference voltage level; and

utilizing the SECAM-L detector to determine whether the difference voltage level is smaller than a sync pulse amplitude;

wherein when the difference voltage level is smaller than the sync pulse amplitude, the inversion signal is at the lowest level, and when the difference voltage level is larger than the sync pulse amplitude, the inversion signal is not at the lowest level.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the constant voltage level is the voltage level of the inversion sync pulses.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sync pulses and the data pulses are arranged by order of one sync pulse being followed by n data pulses, n is a positive integer, a pulse width of the sync pulse and a total pulse width of the n data pulses are constant, the pulse width of the sync pulse is defined as a sync width and total pulse width of the n data pulses is defined as a data width.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the inversion sync pulse and the inversion data pulses are arranged by order of one inversion sync pulse being followed by n inversion data pulses, a pulse width of the inversion sync pulse is the sync width, and a total pulse width of the n inversion data pulses is the data width.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of utilizing the SECAM-L detector to determine whether the inversion signal at the lowest level belongs to the inversion sync pulses further comprises:

utilizing the SECAM-L detector to calculate a first signal width of the subsequent inversion signal different from the lowest level after detecting the lowest level and determining whether the first signal width is larger than the data width; and

when the first signal width is larger than the data width, utilizing the SECAM-L detector to calculate a second signal width of the inversion signal equal to the lowest level and coming immediately after the first signal width, and to determine whether the second signal width is smaller than the sync width;

wherein, when the second signal width is smaller than the sync width, the inversion signal at the lowest level belongs to the inversion sync pulses.

9. A method for detecting SECAM-L signals, comprising:

utilizing a tuner to demodulate a video signal into a demodulation signal; and

utilizing a SECAM-L detector to detect whether an inversion signal of the demodulation signal is at a lowest level to determine whether the demodulation signal is an inversion SECAM-L demodulation signal.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the demodulation signal comprises a plurality of sync pulses and data pulses, the inversion signal comprises a plurality of inversion sync pulses and inversion data pulses in correspondence to the demodulation signal, the lowest level is a voltage level of the inversion sync pluses, further comprising the step of when the inversion signal is at the lowest level, determining by the SECAM-L detector whether the inversion signal at the lowest level belongs to the inversion sync pulses, wherein when the inversion signal at the lowest level belongs to the inversion sync pulses, the demodulation signal is the inversion SECAM-L demodulation signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of detecting whether the inversion signal is at a lowest level, further comprising:

utilizing the SECAM-L detector to subtract the voltage level of the inversion signal by a constant voltage level to obtain a difference voltage level; and

utilizing the SECAM-L detector to determine whether the difference voltage level is smaller than a sync pulse amplitude;

wherein when the difference voltage level is smaller than the sync pulse amplitude, the inversion signal is at the lowest level and when the difference voltage level is larger than the sync pulse amplitude, the inversion signal is not at the lowest level.

12. A video broadcast system, comprising:

a tuner, for demodulating a video signal into a demodulation signal comprising high-frequency (HF) components, a plurality of sync pulses and data pulses; and

a SECAM-L detector, for detecting whether an inversion signal of the demodulation signal is at a lowest level to determine whether the demodulation signal is an inversion SECAM-L demodulation signal.

13. The video broadcast system according to claim 12, wherein the SECAM-L detector comprises:

a first low-pass filter, for receiving the demodulation signal and filtering the HF components of the demodulation signal;

an inverter, coupled to the first low-pass filter, for inverting the filtered demodulation signal into the inversion signal, the inversion signal comprising a plurality of inversion sync pulses and inversion data pulses in correspondence to the demodulation signal;

a lowest detector, for continuously detecting whether the inversion signal is at the lowest level; and

a sync detector, wherein when the inversion signal is at the lowest level, the sync detector determines whether the inversion signal at the lowest level belongs to the inversion sync pulses and sends out a detection signal;

wherein when the inversion signal at the lowest level belongs to the inversion sync pulses, the detection signal is at a high level and the demodulation signal is the inversion SECAM-L demodulation signal.

14. The video broadcast system according to claim 13, wherein the lowest level is a voltage level of the inversion sync pulses.

15. The video broadcast system according to claim 13, wherein the sync pulses and the data pulses are arranged by order of one sync pulse being followed by n data pulses, the inversion sync pulse and the inversion data pulses are arranged by order of one inversion sync pulse being followed by n inversion data pulses, and n is a positive integer.

16. The video broadcast system according to claim 13, wherein the SECAM-L detector further comprises:

a second low-pass filter, for filtering the detection signal to reduce interference in the voltage level of the detection signal.

17. The video broadcast system according to claim 13, wherein when the detection signal is at a high level, the video signal is a SECAM-L signal and the tuner demodulates the SECAM-L signal into the inversion SECAM-L demodulation signal in a non-SECAM-L mode.

18. The video broadcast system according to claim 13, wherein when the inversion signal at the lowest level does not belong to the inversion sync pulses, the detection signal is at a low level, the tuner demodulates the video signal into the demodulation signal in a correct mode.

19. The video broadcast system according to claim 13, wherein the video signal is a NTSC signal, a PAL signal, a SECAM signal or a SECAM-L signal.