COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20170064385A1
• Filed: 02/16/2015
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: NAKAJIMA, Yasuhisa
• Granted Patent: US 10,306,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/02 Handling of images in compressed format, e.g. JPEG, MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/042 for monitor identification
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/047 using display data channel standard [DDC] communication
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/008 Clock recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42653 for processing graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43635 HDMI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4398 involving reformatting operations of audio signals details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/20 Circuitry for controlling amplitude response
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

Graphics are preferably superimposed on uncompressed image data received from an external device to be transmitted to another external device. An AV amplifier 12 inserted on an HDMI transmission path between a BD player 11 and a television receiver 13 superimposes the graphics on the transmitted uncompressed image data. At that time, the AV amplifier 12 receives dynamic range conversion definition information of the uncompressed image data and generates graphics image data on the basis of the dynamic range conversion definition information to superimpose, thereby displaying the graphics with desired luminance even when dynamic range reverse conversion is performed by the television receiver 13.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

a data receiving unit which receives uncompressed image data transmitted from a first external device through a first transmission path;

an information receiving unit which receives dynamic range conversion definition information of the uncompressed image data through the first transmission path;

a graphics processor which adjusts luminance of graphics on the basis of the dynamic range conversion definition information received by the information receiving unit to combine with the uncompressed image data received by the data receiving unit; and

a data transmitting unit which transmits the uncompressed image data with which the graphics are combined to a second external device.

2. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the information receiving unit receives the dynamic range conversion definition information of the uncompressed image data inserted into a blanking period of the uncompressed image data received by the data receiving unit from the first external device.

3. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the information receiving unit receives the dynamic range conversion definition information of the uncompressed image data through a bi-directional communication path formed of a predetermined line of the first transmission path.

4. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the data transmitting unit transmits the uncompressed image data with which the graphics are combined to the second external device through a second transmission path.

5. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined line of the first transmission path is formed of a pair of differential transmission paths and at least one of the pair of differential transmission paths has a function of notifying of a connection status of the external device.

6. The communication device according to claim 4,

wherein the information receiving unit receives a control packet in which the dynamic range conversion definition information is stored from the first external device according to transmission system information received from the second external device through the second transmission path.

7. The communication device according to claim 4,

wherein the information receiving unit receives related information of the dynamic range conversion definition information which the second external device supports through a predetermined line of the second transmission path, and

the graphics processor executes processing of the graphics on the uncompressed image data received by the data receiving unit on the basis of the received related information.

8. The communication device according to claim 7,

wherein the predetermined line of the second transmission path is formed of a pair of differential transmission paths and at least one of the pair of differential transmission paths has a function of notifying of a connection status of the external device.

9. A communication method comprising:

a step of receiving transmission system information of dynamic range conversion definition information from a second external device through a second transmission path;

a step of receiving the dynamic range conversion definition information from a first external device on the basis of the transmission system information through a first transmission path;

a step of adjusting luminance of graphics on the basis of the dynamic range conversion definition information and combining the graphics with uncompressed image data transmitted from the first external device through the first transmission path; and

a step of transmitting the uncompressed image data with which the graphics are combined to the second external device through the second transmission path.

10. A computer program described in a computer readable format for allowing a computer to serve as:

a data receiving unit which receives uncompressed image data transmitted from a first external device through a first transmission path;

an information receiving unit which receives dynamic range conversion definition information of the uncompressed image data through the first transmission path;

a graphics processor which adjusts luminance of graphics on the basis of the dynamic range conversion definition information received by the information receiving unit to combine with the uncompressed image data received by the data receiving unit; and

a data transmitting unit which transmits the uncompressed image data with which the graphics are combined to a second external device.