Abstract:
A control method for integrating a display device with a digital television (DTV) module, which includes the steps: (A) using the display device to execute a system program; (B) determining whether the display device is in a digital television mode; (C) further determining whether the display device receives an instruction when step (B) decides that the display device is in the digital television mode; (D) further determining whether the instruction received is for the digital television module when step (C) decides that the display device receives the instruction; and (E) using the display device to send the instruction to the digital television module through a serial bus and to receive and process a response of the digital television module when step (D) decides that the instruction is for the digital television module.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to a control technique of digital television and, more particularly, to a control method for integrating a display device with a digital television module. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   As semiconductor processes have developed rapidly, more transistors can be integrated in a same area such that electronic devices have the enhanced functions and also the electronic devices can be made light, thin and small. Liquid crystal display televisions that generally represent the high-technology image have the advantage of miniaturization, as compared to typical CRT televisions. In addition, liquid crystal televisions have a wide screen to provide a preferred visual enjoyment. 
   However, a typical liquid crystal display television (LCD TV) cannot receive a digital television (DTV) signal to display a DTV program unless a set-top-box (STB) is provided.  FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a typical LCD TV  100  connecting with an STB  150 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the STB  150  receives a DTV signal and decodes the signal into a video signal and an audio signal. The video signal and the audio signal are sent to the LCD TV  100  through a video connection  140  and an audio connection  145  respectively. 
   When a user desires to change a selected DTV channel, an STB remote controller  160  is used to perform associated settings on the STB  150 . When the user desires to change the brightness of the DTV screen or volume of the DTV, a TV remote controller  130  is used. Accordingly, it leads the increased cost and inconvenience in use to the user. 
   Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved method to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An object of the invention is to provide a control method for integrating a display device with a digital television module, which integrates the digital television module into the display device to thus save the cost and the required power. 
   Another object of the invention is to provide a control method for integrating a display device with a digital television module, which integrates the digital television module into the display device to thus enhance the convenience in use. 
   A further object of the invention is to provide a control method for integrating a display device with a digital television module, which allows the display device to automatically determine to have a digital television mode, or to have a standard television mode only, to accordingly produce two types of television with high and low prices by a producer. 
   In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for integrating a display device with a digital television module. The control method includes the steps: (A) using the display device to execute a system program; (B) determining whether the display device is in a digital television mode; (C) further determining whether the display device receives an instruction when step (B) decides that the display device is in the digital television mode; (D) further determining whether the instruction received is for the digital television module when step (C) decides that the display device receives the instruction; and (E) using the display device to send the instruction to the digital television module through a serial bus and to receive and process a response of the digital television module when step (D) decides that the instruction is for the digital television module. 
   Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a typical liquid crystal television connecting an STB; 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a display device and integrated digital television module in accordance with the invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a control method for integrating a display device with a digital television module in accordance with the invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic view of fields of a packet in accordance with the invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a message transmission in accordance with the invention; and 
       FIG. 6  is a schematic view of another message transmission in accordance with the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The control method for integrating a display device with a digital television module can provide the command and message transfer between microprocessors of the display device and the digital television module in integration. 
     FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a display device  200  and integrated digital television module  20  in accordance with the invention. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the display device  200  is preferably a liquid crystal display television (LCD TV)  201 , and the digital television (DTV) module  20  is preferably a set-top-box (STB) module  21 . The LCD TV  201  includes a liquid crystal display (LCD)  220  and an operating panel  210 . The LCD  220  can display a video signal. The operating panel  210  has plural keys  211  and an infrared receiver  212 . The keys  211  are used to input an instruction to the LCD TV  201  for performing associated settings. The infrared receiver  212  can receive an instruction sent by an infrared remote controller  230  to accordingly perform associated settings. 
   The STB module  21  can be integrated into a motherboard  25  of the LCD TV  201 , or connect with the motherboard  25  of the LCD TV  201  through connectors  24  and  23 . A TV microprocessor  240  of the LCD TV  201  and an STB microprocessor  250  of the STB module  21  are connected by a modified serial bus  260 . The modified serial bus  260  includes an indicative line CTS/RTS, a transmit line Tx and a receive line Rx, each connected to both the STB microprocessor  250  of the STB module  21  and the TV microprocessor  240  of the motherboard  25  of the LCD TV  201 . When two ends of the indicative line CTS/RTS have a high potential, the display device  200  and the DTV module  20  can deliver a packet data through the corresponding Tx and Rx line. In addition, when the STB module  21  is not connected electrically with the motherboard  25  of the LCD TV  201 , the TV microprocessor  240  of the motherboard  25  of the LCD TV  201  can detect the state of the CTS/RTS line, and automatically exclude the DTV mode and turn into the standard TV mode. 
     FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a control method for integrating a display device with a digital television module in accordance with the invention. In step S 310 , the TV microprocessor  240  of the display device  200  executes a system program. In step S 320 , the TV microprocessor  240  determines if the display device  200  is in the DTV mode. In step S 330 , the TV microprocessor  240  further determines if the display device  200  receives an instruction when step S 320  decides that the display device  200  is in the DTV mode. The instruction can come from the keys  211  of the operating panel  210  of the display device  200  or the infrared remote controller  230 . 
   Accordingly, step S 340  further determines if the instruction received is for the DTV module  20  when step S 330  decides that the display device  200  receives the instruction. When step S 340  decides that the instruction is for the digital television module  20 , the TV microprocessor  240  of the display device  200  transmits the instruction to the STB microprocessor  250  of the DTV module  20  through the modified serial bus  260 , and receives a response of the DTV module  20 . When step S 340  decides that the instruction is not of the DTV module  20 , the TV microprocessor  240  of the display device  200  processes the instruction (step S 360 ). 
   When step S 330  determines that the display device  200  does not receive the instruction, step S 310  is executed. When step S 320  determines that the display device  200  is not in the DTV mode, step S 310  is executed. 
   In step S 350 , the TV microprocessor  240  uses a packet to transmit the instruction to the STB microprocessor  250  of the DTV module  20 , and receive the response of the STB microprocessor  250  of the DTV module  20  through the modified serial bus. The packet can carry a message, including command message, command acknowledge message, response message, response acknowledge message, notification message and notification acknowledge message. 
   The command message is sent from the TV microprocessor  240  to the STB microprocessor  250  of the DTV module  20  in order to carry a command to the DTV module  20  or ask the DTV module  20  to send an information back to the TV microprocessor  240 . The command acknowledge message is sent from the STB microprocessor  250  of the DTV module  20  to the TV microprocessor  240  in order to acknowledge that the STB microprocessor  250  of the DTV module  20  receives a command message. 
   The response message is sent from the STB microprocessor  250  of the DTV module  20  to the TV microprocessor  240  in response to a command message received by the STB microprocessor  250  of the DTV module  20 . The response acknowledge message is sent from the TV microprocessor  240  to the STB microprocessor  250  of the DTV module  20  in order to acknowledge that the TV microprocessor  240  receives a response message. 
   The notification message is sent from the STB microprocessor  250  of the DTV module  20  to the TV microprocessor  240  in order to notify the TV microprocessor  240  that the DTV module  20  generates an event. The notification acknowledge message is sent from the TV microprocessor  240  to the STB microprocessor  250  of the DTV module  20  in order to acknowledge that the TV microprocessor  240  receives a notification message. 
     FIG. 4  is a schematic view of fields of a packet in accordance with the invention. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the packet has a header field  410 , an operating code field  420 , a data length field  430 , data fields  440  and a checksum field  450 . The header field  410  has eight bits filled in a value of 0xEA. The operating code field  420  has eight bits filled in a command. The data length field  430  has eight bits filled in the number of data and checksum fields. Each data field  440  has eight bits filled in a value of data, and is eliminated when the message carried by a packet is an acknowledge message. The checksum field  450  has eight bits filled in a value obtained by performing a checksum operation on all previous fields. 
     FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a message transmission in accordance with the invention. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the TV microprocessor  240  sends a packet of setting channel number request to the STB microprocessor  250 . At T 1 , the TV microprocessor  240  sends a command message to ask the STB microprocessor  250  for setting channel number to 0x11. The command message is sent in a packet form of 0xEA, 0x13, 0x03, 0x01, 0x11, Checksum corresponding to the header field  410 , the operating code field  420 , the data length field  430  to indicate two data fields and one checksum field, the first data field  1 , the second data field  2 , the checksum field, respectively. At T 2 , the STB microprocessor  250  returns a command acknowledge message to indicate that the command message is received. The command acknowledge message is sent in a packet form of 0xEA, 0x8E, 0x01, Checksum. 
   At T 3 , the STB microprocessor  250  sends a response message in a packet form of 0xEA, 0x93, 0x03, 0x01, 0x11, Checksum. At T 4 , the TV microprocessor  240  returns a response acknowledge message to indicate that the response message is received. The response acknowledge message is sent in a packet form of 0xEA, 0x0E, 0x01, Checksum. 
     FIG. 6  is a schematic view of another message transmission in accordance with the invention. As shown in  FIG. 6 , at T 1 , the TV microprocessor  240  sends a command message to ask the STB microprocessor  250  for sending a version information of the DTV module  20 . The command message is sent in a packet form of 0xEA, 0x0F, 0x05, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, Checksum corresponding to the header field  410 , the operating code field  420 , the data length field  430  to indicate four data fields and one checksum field, the first data field  1 , the second data field  2 , the third data field  3 , the fourth data field  4 , the checksum field, respectively. At T 2 , the STB microprocessor  250  returns a command acknowledge message to indicate that the command message is received. The command acknowledge message is sent in a packet form of 0xEA, 0x8E, 0x01, Checksum. 
   At T 3 , the STB microprocessor  250  sends a response message in a packet form of 0xEA, 0x8F, 0x05, H/W, BSP, DeviceDriver, ApplicationSoftware, and Checksum. At T 4 , the TV microprocessor  240  returns a response acknowledge message to indicate that the response message is received. The response acknowledge message is sent in a packet form of 0xEA, 0x0E, 0x01, and Checksum. Accordingly, the display device can accurately transfer the instructions of the DTV module. Thus, the purpose of integrating the DTV module with the display device is achieved. 
   In view of the foregoing, it is known that, in the present invention, a display device can use the inventive technique to integrate with a DTV module, which can eliminate one remote controller. In addition, since the DTV module is integrated into the display device, the power can be saved, and the connections between the STB and the LCD TV can be reduced. 
   Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.