Multimedia device and method for driving the same

• US 9,961,391 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2015
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Choi, Byeong-Hwa, Lee, Seung-Bae
• Primary Examiner(s): Teitelbaum, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): SATTI, HUMAM M
• Application Number:
  US14/919,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20160316251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 348500, 348512, 348515, 348521, 386201, 386207
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43079 of additional data with content streams on multiple devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45

Abstract

A multimedia device includes a distance sensor which measures a viewing distance, a controller which controls an output timing of a video signal and an output timing of an audio signal based on the viewing distance, an audio device which outputs a sound in response to the audio signal, and a display device which outputs an image in response to the video signal.

Claims

1. A multimedia device comprising:

a distance sensor which measures a viewing distance;

a controller which determines a reaction time difference between a first reaction time to visual stimuli and a second reaction time to auditory stimuli, based on the viewing distance and a shortest reaction time to auditory stimuli and adjusts an output timing of the audio signal or an output timing of the video signal based on the reaction time difference;

an audio device which outputs a sound in response to the audio signal; and

a display device which outputs an image in response to the video signal,

wherein the controller further determines a reference distance at which the first reaction time is substantially equal to the second reaction time, outputs the video signal and the audio signal substantially at the same time when the viewing distance is substantially the same as the reference distance, outputs the video signal before an output of the audio signal based on the reaction time difference when the viewing distance is less than the reference distance, and outputs the audio signal before an output of the video signal based on the reaction time difference when the viewing distance is greater than the reference distance.

2. The multimedia device of claim 1, wherein the first reaction time is determined to have a substantially constant value independently of the viewing distance.

3. The multimedia device of claim 2, wherein the second reaction time is determined to linearly increase as the viewing distance increases.

4. The multimedia device of claim 3, wherein an output time difference between the output timing of the video signal and the output timing of the audio signal is substantially the same as the reaction time difference.

5. The multimedia device of claim 1, wherein the first reaction time is determined to linearly decrease as the viewing distance increases.

6. The multimedia device of claim 5, wherein the second reaction time is determined to linearly increase as the viewing distance increases.

7. The multimedia device of claim 1, wherein an output time difference between the output timing of the video signal and the output timing of the audio signal is substantially the same as the reaction time difference.

8. The multimedia device of claim 1, wherein an output time difference between the output timing of the video signal and the output timing of the audio signal is substantially the same as the reaction time difference.

9. The multimedia device of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a calculator which calculates the reaction time difference based on the viewing distance;

a synchronization signal controller which controls the output timings of an audio synchronization signal and a video synchronization signal based on the reaction time difference;

an audio signal processor which generates the audio signal based on an audio process of input data and provides the audio signal to the audio device based on the audio synchronization signal; and

a video signal processor which generates the video signal based on a video process of the input data and provides the video signal to the display device based on the video synchronization signal.

10. The multimedia device of claim 1, wherein the distance sensor calculates the viewing distance using an infrared radiation.

11. A method for driving a multimedia device, the method comprising:

measuring a viewing distance between a user and the multimedia device;

calculating a reaction time difference between a first reaction time to visual stimuli and a second reaction time to auditory stimuli, based on the viewing distance and a shortest reaction time to auditory stimuli;

adjusting an output timing of the audio signal and an output timing of the video signal based on the reaction time difference; and

outputting a sound and an image based on the audio signal and the video signal,

wherein adjusting the output timing of the audio signal and the output timing of the video signal includes determining a reference distance at which the first reaction time is substantially equal to the second reaction time, outputting the video signal and the same as the reference distance, outputting the video signal before an output of the audio signal based on the reaction time difference when the viewing distance is less than the reference distance, and outputting the audio signal before an output of the video signal based on the reaction time difference when the viewing distance is greater than the reference distance.

12. The multimedia device of claim 11, wherein the first reaction time is determined to have a substantially constant value independently of the viewing distance.

13. The multimedia device of claim 12, wherein the second reaction time is determined to linearly increase as the viewing distance increases.

14. The multimedia device of claim 13, wherein an output time difference between the output timing of the video signal and the output timing of the audio signal is substantially the same as the reaction time difference.

15. The multimedia device of claim 13, wherein an output time difference between the output timing of the video signal and the output timing of the audio signal corresponds to clock signal durations which is the nearest to the reaction time difference.