Video distribution system and method
First Claim
1. An integrated video distribution system for distributing video signals from a plurality of sources, comprising:
- a control bus;
a video digitizer arrangement coupled to the control bus and having a plurality of analog video input ports and a plurality of digital video output ports, the digitizer arrangement configured and arranged to convert analog video signals to digital video data in YCrCb format at a first clock rate, each output port coupled to a respective first set of signal lines, wherein the video digitizer arrangement is arranged to input a plurality of analog video signals from a first plurality of video sources, respectively;
a video data multiplexer arrangement having input ports coupled to output ports of the video digitizer arrangement, the multiplexer arrangement having a plurality of output ports, each coupled to a respective second set of signal lines, the multiplexer configured and arranged to multiplex the digital video data at a second clock rate that is less than the first clock rate, wherein a number of signal lines in each first set is greater than a number of signal lines in each second set;
a digital video bus having a plurality of video channels coupled to respective output ports of the multiplexer, wherein each channel carries a stream of video data; and
a plurality of terminal controllers responsive to an input signal coupled to the video bus and to the control bus, each terminal controller having a data input port and a video output port and configured and arranged to select one or more of the streams of video data for output; and
a fail-safe video subsystem having a plurality of video signal input ports and a plurality of output ports, wherein selected ones of the input ports are coupled to output ports of the terminal controllers, and others of the input ports are arranged to input fail-safe analog video signals from a plurality of alternative video sources, respectively, wherein the alternative video sources are not in the first plurality of video sources, and the fail-safe video subsystem is configured and arranged to provide on the output ports video signals from the alternative video sources in absence of power to the fail-safe video subsystem.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An integrated video distribution system for distributing video signals from a plurality of sources. The system includes a digitizer arrangement arranged to receive analog video signals from a plurality of video sources. The analog video signals are digitized in YCrCb video format and converted to streams of digital video data. The video data is multiplexed and transmitted on a digital video bus having a plurality of video channels. In one embodiment, the digitizers and video bus are integrated with a backplane arrangement that includes expansion slots for a plurality of terminal controllers. The expansion slots provide connections to the video bus. Each terminal controller mounted on the backplane arrangement can be coupled to a display terminal and an input device. The terminal controller selects one or more of the input streams of video data in response to control signals from the input device and converts the selected video data to an analog video signal for output to a display terminal.
16 Citations
30 Claims
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1. An integrated video distribution system for distributing video signals from a plurality of sources, comprising:
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a control bus; a video digitizer arrangement coupled to the control bus and having a plurality of analog video input ports and a plurality of digital video output ports, the digitizer arrangement configured and arranged to convert analog video signals to digital video data in YCrCb format at a first clock rate, each output port coupled to a respective first set of signal lines, wherein the video digitizer arrangement is arranged to input a plurality of analog video signals from a first plurality of video sources, respectively; a video data multiplexer arrangement having input ports coupled to output ports of the video digitizer arrangement, the multiplexer arrangement having a plurality of output ports, each coupled to a respective second set of signal lines, the multiplexer configured and arranged to multiplex the digital video data at a second clock rate that is less than the first clock rate, wherein a number of signal lines in each first set is greater than a number of signal lines in each second set; a digital video bus having a plurality of video channels coupled to respective output ports of the multiplexer, wherein each channel carries a stream of video data; and a plurality of terminal controllers responsive to an input signal coupled to the video bus and to the control bus, each terminal controller having a data input port and a video output port and configured and arranged to select one or more of the streams of video data for output; and a fail-safe video subsystem having a plurality of video signal input ports and a plurality of output ports, wherein selected ones of the input ports are coupled to output ports of the terminal controllers, and others of the input ports are arranged to input fail-safe analog video signals from a plurality of alternative video sources, respectively, wherein the alternative video sources are not in the first plurality of video sources, and the fail-safe video subsystem is configured and arranged to provide on the output ports video signals from the alternative video sources in absence of power to the fail-safe video subsystem. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An integrated video distribution arrangement for distributing video signals from a plurality of sources, the arrangement comprising:
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means for inputting a plurality of analog video signals from a respective plurality of video sources; means for digitizing the plurality of analog video signals to respective streams of digital video data in YCrCb format at a first clock rate and outputting the digital video data on a first plurality of sets of signal lines; means for multiplexing the digital video data at a second clock rate and outputting the digital video data on a second plurality of sets of signal lines, wherein the second clock rate is less than the first clock rate and a number of signal lines in each set of the first plurality is greater than a number of signals in each set of the second plurality; means for selecting one or more of the streams of video data responsive to an input control signal and converting the selected one or more streams of video data to a first output analog video signal for output to a single one of a plurality of display terminals; means for inputting a fail-safe analog video signal from a source not in the plurality of video sources; means responsive to presence of power for relaying the first output analog video signal for output; and means responsive to absence of power for relaying the fail-safe analog video signal for output.
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27. An integrated video distribution system for distributing video signals from a plurality of sources, comprising:
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a video digitizer arrangement arranged to receive a plurality of analog video signals from a plurality of sources, the digitizer arrangement configured to convert the analog video signals to respective digital video streams; a video data multiplexer arrangement coupled to the digitizer arrangement, the multiplexer configured to time multiplex the digital video streams on a plurality of output ports; a digital video bus having a plurality of video channels coupled to respective output ports of the multiplexer arrangement; a plurality of terminal controllers coupled to the video bus and to the control bus, each terminal controller configured to select one or more of the streams of video data for output to a display terminal responsive to an input signal; and a fail-safe relay circuit coupled to at least one of the terminal controllers and arranged to receive at least one fail-safe analog video signal associated with the at least one of the terminal controllers, the fail-safe relay circuit arranged to relay the fail-safe analog video signal in response to absence of power at the relay circuit and relay video data output from the at least one terminal controller responsive to presence of power at the relay circuit. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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Specification