Display apparatus and control method thereof

• US 9,602,756 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, In-beom
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): JEAN BAPTISTE, JERRY T
• Application Number:
  US13/714,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20130162907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4183 providing its own processing capabilities, e.g. external module for video decoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/64 Constructional details of receivers, e.g. cabinets or dust covers furniture aspects of television cabinets A47B81/06

Abstract

Disclosed are a display apparatus including a display unit which displays an image thereon; a first image processor which processes an image signal based on a predetermined image processing operation, and displays an image based on the processed image signal; a first central processor which controls the display unit and the first image processor; and a first controller which grants a control right to the first central processor or to an upgrading apparatus, which upgrades the display apparatus, to control the display apparatus when the upgrading apparatus is connected to the display apparatus.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a display unit which displays an image thereon;

a first image processor which processes an image signal;

a first central processor which controls the display unit and the first image processor; and

a first controller which selectively grants a control right to one of the first central processor and an upgrading apparatus, which processes the image signal and upgrades the display apparatus, to control the display apparatus,

wherein the first controller grants the control right to the upgrading apparatus to perform a predetermined control operation corresponding to a predetermined event by using a second central processor when the upgrading apparatus is connected to the display apparatus via a connector which is provided in the display apparatus, and

wherein, when the upgrading apparatus is connected to the display apparatus via the connector, the display apparatus outputs the image signal, via the connector, to the upgrading apparatus having the control right as a subject operates, receives the image signal processed by a second image processor of the upgrading apparatus, the second image processor comprising a decoder and the received image signal being decoded by the decoder, and displays an image on the display unit based on the image signal processed by the second image processor, wherein the second image processor is controlled by the second central processor.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display apparatus further comprises a main body module which comprises the display unit and the first controller, and a main board module which comprises the first image processor and the first central processor,

wherein the upgrading apparatus is usable as a replacement for the main board module.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first controller determines whether the main board module is replaced by the upgrading apparatus, and checks whether the replaced upgrading apparatus is compatible with the main body module.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the main body module further comprises a storage unit which stores setting information relating to the main board module, and the first controller controls the upgrading apparatus to operate based on the setting information stored in the storage unit when the main board module is replaced by the upgrading apparatus.

5. The display apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a power supply which supplies power, wherein

the first controller controls the power supply to cut off a supply of power if the main board module is disconnected from the display apparatus.

6. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first controller grants a control right to the first central processor to perform a control operation corresponding to a first event of a plurality of events, and grants the control right to the upgrading apparatus to perform a control operation corresponding to a second event of the plurality of events.

7. The display apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a first storage unit of the display apparatus stores information regarding the control right corresponding to the plurality of events, and

when a predetermined one of the plurality of events occurs, the first controller grants the control right corresponding to the predetermined event to one of the first central processor and the upgrading apparatus, based on the information regarding the control right stored in the first storage unit.

8. The display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the upgrading apparatus stores information regarding the control right corresponding to the plurality of events, and

when the upgrading apparatus is connected to the display apparatus, the first controller receives the information regarding the control right which is stored in the upgrading apparatus and uses the received information to overwrite the information stored in the first storage unit.

9. The display apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least one event of the plurality of events occurs when a predetermined signal is received from an outside.

10. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first controller checks whether the upgrading apparatus includes a microcomputer when the upgrading apparatus is connected to the display apparatus, grants the control right to the microcomputer of the upgrading apparatus to enable the upgrading apparatus if the upgrading apparatus includes the microcomputer, and transmits a system reset signal to enable the upgrading apparatus if the upgrading apparatus does not include the microcomputer.

11. The display apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first controller comprises a connection detecting pin which is connected to a ground terminal and which detects a connection of the upgrading apparatus.

12. The display apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first controller checks a connection status of the upgrading apparatus by using the connection detecting pin when power is applied, and determines whether to activate the display apparatus solely or to enable the upgrading apparatus, based on a result of the check.

13. The display apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first controller comprises a microcomputer detecting pin which is used to check whether the upgrading apparatus includes the microcomputer.

14. The display apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the microcomputer detecting pin comprises a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) transmission pin which transmits a predetermined call signal to the upgrading apparatus and a UART reception pin which is configured to receive a response signal which corresponds to the predetermined call signal from the microcomputer included in the upgrading apparatus, and

the first controller checks whether the UART reception pin receives the response signal and uses a result of the check to determine whether the upgrading apparatus includes the microcomputer.

15. The display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the controller comprises a general purpose input output (GPIO) pin, and

wherein the controller transmits, to the upgrading apparatus, a signal for granting the control right and the system reset signal by using the GPIO pin.

16. A control method which is executable by a display apparatus, comprising:

connecting to an upgrading apparatus which processes an image signal and upgrades the display apparatus;

granting a control right to one of a first central processor of the display apparatus and the upgrading apparatus to enable control of the display apparatus; and

performing a predetermined control operation corresponding to a predetermined event by using the one of the first central processor and the upgrading apparatus to which the control right is granted,

wherein the granting the control right comprises granting the control right to the upgrading apparatus to perform the predetermined control operation corresponding to the predetermined event by using a second central processor when the upgrading apparatus is connected to the display apparatus, and

wherein the performing the predetermined control operation comprises outputting the image signal from the display apparatus to the upgrading apparatus having the control right as a subject operates, receiving the image signal processed by a second image processor of the upgrading apparatus by the display apparatus, the second image processor comprising a decoder and the received image signal being decoded by the decoder, and displaying an image on a display unit provided in the display apparatus based on the image signal processed by the second image processor.

17. The control method according to claim 16, wherein the display apparatus comprises a main body module which comprises a display unit and a main board module which comprises the first central processor, and

wherein the upgrading apparatus is usable as a replacement for the main board module.

18. The control method according to claim 16, wherein the granting the control right comprises one of granting the control right to the first central processor to perform a control operation corresponding to a first event of a plurality of events, and granting the control right to the upgrading apparatus to enable the upgrading apparatus to perform a control operation corresponding to a second event of the plurality of events.

19. The control method according to claim 18, wherein the display apparatus stores information regarding the control right corresponding to the plurality of events, and

when a predetermined one of the plurality of events occurs, the granting the control right comprises granting the control right corresponding to the predetermined event to one of the first central processor and the upgrading apparatus, based on the stored information regarding the control right.

20. The control method according to claim 19, wherein the upgrading apparatus stores information regarding the control right corresponding to the plurality of events, and the method further comprises:

receiving information regarding the control right stored in the upgrading apparatus when the upgrading apparatus is connected to the display apparatus and using the received information to overwrite the information stored in the display apparatus.

21. The control method according to claim 18, wherein at least one event of the plurality of events occurs when a predetermined signal is received from an outside.

22. The control method according to claim 16, further comprising determining whether the upgrading apparatus includes a microcomputer when the upgrading apparatus is connected to the display apparatus;

granting a control right to the microcomputer to enable the upgrading apparatus if the upgrading apparatus includes the microcomputer; and

transmitting a system reset signal to enable the upgrading apparatus if the upgrading apparatus does not include the microcomputer.

23. The control method according to claim 22, wherein the display apparatus detects a connection of the upgrading apparatus by using a connection detecting pin connected to a ground terminal.

24. The control method according to claim 22, wherein the determining whether the upgrading apparatus includes the microcomputer comprises transmitting a predetermined call signal to the upgrading apparatus;

and

receiving a response signal which corresponds to the predetermined call signal from the microcomputer included in the upgrading apparatus.

25. The control method according to claim 24, wherein the transmitting the predetermined call signal comprises transmitting the predetermined call signal by using a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) pin, and the receiving the response signal comprises receiving the response signal by using the UART pin.