CONTROL DEVICE FOR RECEIVERS OF INFORMATION BASED ON THE PROPAGATION OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD, PARTICULARLY FOR TELEVISION SETS, AND AN EXERCISE MACHINE COMPRISING SAID DEVICE

• US 20090109346A1
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Technogym SpA
• Original Assignee: Technogym SpA
• Inventors: VIARANI, Luigi, BARDUCCI, Mirco
• Application Number:
  US12/256,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20090109346A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/726
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0658 Position or arrangement of display
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42638 involving a hybrid front-end, e.g. analog and digital tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27

Abstract

A control device for receivers of information based on the propagation of the electromagnetic field, particularly for television sets, comprises an input interface (20) for receiving analogue and digital television signals (100, 110); tuning means (30) for selecting an analogue channel (100a) or a digital channel (110a); a decoding circuit (40); an output interface (50) for connecting the device (1) to a television set (10) and sending a main signal (120) incorporating content to be displayed; a selection block (60) for selectively connecting to the output interface (50) an analogue output (31b, 32b) of the tuning means (30) or an output (40b) of the decoding circuit (40); a processing unit (70) connected to the tuning means (30) and for sending a first signal (130) representing a channel to be selected; the processing unit (70) being connected to the selection block (60) to send a second signal (140) and identify which signal must be sent to the output interface (50); the processing unit (70) is controlled by a controller device (80), so that it receives a control signal (150) and generates the first signal (130) and/or the second signal (140).

Claims

1. ) A control device for receivers of information based on the propagation of the electromagnetic field, particularly for television sets, comprising:

an input interface (20) for receiving analogue and digital televisions signals (100, 110);

tuning means (30) for selecting an analogue channel (100a) or a digital channel (110a);

a decoding circuit (40) for decoding digital signals and making them suitable for reception by a television set;

an output interface (50) for connecting the device (1) to a television set (10) and for sending to the television set a main signal (120) incorporating content to be displayed;

a selection block (60) for selectively connecting to the output interface (50) an analogue output (31b, 32b) of the tuning means (30) or an output (40b) of the decoding circuit (40), thus defining the content of the main signal (120);

a processing unit (70), operatively connected to the tuning means (30) for sending the latter a first signal (130) representing a channel to be selected;

the processing unit (70) being operatively connected to the selection block (60) for sending the latter a second signal (140) and identifying, amongst the signals received by the latter as input, which must be sent to the output interface (50);

the processing unit (70) being controlled by a controller device (80), so that it receives from the latter a control signal (150) and generates the first signal (130) and/or the second signal (140) depending on the control signal (150).

2. ) The device according to claim 1, wherein the tuning means (30) comprise:

an analogue tuner, preferably incorporated in the television set (10);

a digital tuner.

3. ) The device according to claim 1, wherein the tuning means (30) comprise:

an analogue tuner (30a);

a digital tuner connected to a digital demodulator (41a), both being integrated in the decoding circuit (40).

4. ) The device according to claim 1, also comprising a memory register (90) in which analogue and digital channels selected using the tuning means (30) are archived in sequence.

5. ) The device according to claim 2, wherein the decoding circuit (40) comprises:

a digital demodulator (41) for transforming the intermediate frequency digital signals received as input into signals which are in transport stream format;

a decoder (42) for transforming the transport stream format signals into a format that is acceptable for an analogue television set.

6. ) The device according to claim 4, wherein the processing unit (70) is operatively connected to the tuning means (30) and the memory register (90) for scanning one after another a spectrum of frequencies comprising analogue and digital channels and for saving said channels in the memory register (90).

7. ) An exercise machine comprising:

an element (3) for performing a physical exercise;

display means (4) which allow a user to enjoy video content while exercising with the element (3);

wherein the machine also comprises a control device (1) according to claim 1, the device (1) being operatively connected to the display means (4) to allow the user to enjoy the use of analogue and digital channels.