Abstract:
Disclosed are a method and apparatus of processing input signals of a display appliance having a plurality of external input terminals and connected to a set top box with a plurality of external input terminals. The method comprises the steps of: detecting a connecting state to the set top box, a signal receiving state from the set top box, a signal receiving state via the external input terminals of the display appliance; selecting and outputting any one of signals supplied from the set top box and signals supplied via external input terminals of the display appliance; and during outputting the selected signal, if a user requests to output a signal inputted from any one of external input terminals of the set top box and the display appliance, selecting and outputting the selected signal.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a display appliance, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus of processing input signals of a display appliance.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    With advances in technology, the kinds of input signals that can be processed by a display appliance become diversified. Consequently, display appliances include several external input terminals, such as a connecting terminal for a set top box, an audio-video signal input terminal, a DVD connecting terminal, a PC connecting terminal, etc.  
           [0005]    The set top box supplies AV signals inputted from various signal sources, such as a personal computer, a DVD player and a cable/wireless broadcasting receiver, to the display appliance via the set top box connecting terminal.  
           [0006]    The display appliance may directly receive various input signals from the external input terminal, or receive the input signals via the set top box.  
           [0007]    In general, the display appliance selects any one of the input signals depending upon the connecting state to the set top box, and will now be described in brief.  
           [0008]    If the display appliance is connected to the set top box or does not receive the signal from the set top box, the display appliance selectively outputs any one of the signals inputted from the external input terminals. Otherwise, if it receives the signal from the set top box, the display appliance selectively outputs any one of the input signals inputted from the set top box.  
           [0009]    Consequently, a problem exists in that during the receipt of another signal from the set top box, even though the signal is directly received from the external input terminal, the conventional display appliance cannot output the signal.  
           [0010]    This interrupts a portion of various signals regardless of the intention of a user, thereby dissatisfying the user. In addition, an inexperienced user misconceives the nonoutput of the signal inputted from the external input terminal as the misoperation of the display appliance, thereby decreasing the reliability of the article in the user&#39;s mind.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus of processing input signals of a display appliance that substantially obviate one or more problems due to the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.  
           [0012]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus of processing input signals of a display appliance in which an external input signal may be selected and outputting regardless of whether or not a display appliance receives the signal from a set top box, thereby providing the user with convenience of use.  
           [0013]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus of processing input signals of a display appliance in which an input signal is selected depending upon the connecting state to a set top box and the signal receiving state from the set top box, hereby maintaining consistency with a conventional method of selecting the input signal.  
           [0014]    To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a method of processing input signals of a display appliance having a plurality of external input terminals and connected to a set top box with a plurality of external input terminals is provided. The method comprises the steps of: a) detecting a connecting state to the set top box, a signal receiving state from the set top box, and a signal receiving state via the external input terminals of the display appliance; b) selecting and outputting any one of signals supplied from the set top box and signals supplied via external input terminals of the display appliance; and c) during the output of the selected signal, if a user requests to output a signal inputted from any one of the external input terminals of the set top box and the display appliance, selecting and outputting the selected signal  
           [0015]    According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus of processing input signals of a display appliance having a plurality of external input terminals and connected to a set top box with a plurality of external input terminals is provided. The apparatus comprises an AV switch for selecting and outputting any one of signals inputted from the set top box and the external input terminals of the display appliance; a video/image processor for processing the signal selected and outputted by the AV switch to convert a signal that is able to be outputted; a display for receiving an output of the video/image processor to display the output; an operating unit for providing a user with an interface; and a micro computer for selecting and outputting any one of signals supplied from the set top box and signals supplied via external input terminals of the display appliance, after a connecting state to the set top box and a signal receiving state from the set top box are detected, and during the output of the selected signal, if a user requests to output a signal inputted from any one of the external input terminals of the set top box and the display appliance, controlling the set top box, the AV switch and the video/image processor to output the selected signal.  
           [0016]    Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a display appliance with a set top box employable in the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting a method of processing input signals of a display appliance with a set top box according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 is a view showing input modes according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0021]    Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.  
         [0022]    The construction of the display appliance with a set top box employable in the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 1.  
         [0023]    The set top box  100  includes several external input terminals such as PC, AV 1 , AV 2 , AV 3  and DVD, which are respectively designated by reference numerals  102  to  110 . The set top box  100  receives various signals, such as a cable/wireless broadcasting signal, a DVD reproducing signal and so forth, via the AV 1   104 , AV 2   106 , AV 3   108  and DVD  110  among the input terminals. These signals are supplied to an AV switch  112 .  
         [0024]    The AV switch  112  selects any one of input signals supplied via AV 1   104 , AV 2   106 , AV 3   108  and DVD  110  in accordance with the control of a micro computer  116 , and supplies the selected signal to a video processor  114 . The video processor  114  processes the input signal supplied from the AV switch  112  to output the processed signal to an RGB switch  118 .  
         [0025]    The external input terminal (i.e., PC  102 ) receives an image signal from a computer to output it to the RGB switch  118  in accordance with the control of the micro computer  116 . The RGB switch  118  selects any one of signals supplied from the computer and the video processor  114  to output the selected signal to a display appliance  200 .  
         [0026]    The micro computer  116  of the set top box  100  controls the AV switch  112  and the RGB switch  118  in accordance with the control of a controller  210  provided in the display appliance  200 , as well as generally controlling the set top box  100 , thereby supplying the input signal wanted by a user to the AV switch  206  of the display appliance.  
         [0027]    The display appliance  200  includes external input terminal (i.e., AV  202  and DVD  204 ) and a set top box connecting terminals  216 . Signals inputted from the external input terminal (i.e., AV  202  and DVD  204 ) and the set top box connecting terminal  216  are supplied to the AV switch  206 . In particular, the set top box connecting terminal  216  detects the connecting state to the set top box  100  and then supplies the detected result to the micro computer  210 . The connecting state is detected based on the current capacity of the corresponding connecting terminal. Such a detecting method is widely known in the art, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.  
         [0028]    The AV switch  206  selects any one of the signals inputted from the external input terminal (i.e., AV  202  and DVD  204 ) and the set top box connecting box  216  to output the selected signal to the video processor  208 . The video processor  208  processes the signal provided by the AV switch  206  to output the processed signal to an image processor  212 .  
         [0029]    The image processor  212  processes the signal provided by the micro computer  210  or the video processor  208  to output the processed signal to the display  214 . The display  214  displays the signal outputted from the video processor  208 , and a DVD module may be used as the display  214 .  
         [0030]    The micro computer  210  of the display appliance  200  generally controls the display appliance  200 , as well as controlling the AV switch  112  and the RGB switch  118  by use of the micro computer  116  of the set top box  100  according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as well as controlling the AV switch  206 , thereby outputting the signal wanted by the user. In addition, the micro computer  210  controls the AV switch  112 , the RGB switch  118  and the AV switch  206  so as to select the input signal in accordance with the connecting state to the set top box  100  and the signal receiving state therefrom, so that the consistency between present and conventional micro computers may be maintained. An operating unit  218  interfaces between the user and the micro computer  210 .  
         [0031]    A method of processing the input signal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention employable in the display appliance  200  will now be described with reference to FIG. 2.  
         [0032]    The micro computer  210  of the display appliance  200  detects the connecting state to the set top box  100  by referring to the detected signal supplied via the set top box connecting terminal  216  (step S 300 ). If the micro computer  210  is not connected to the set top box  100 , the micro computer selects and processes any one of the signals inputted from the external input terminals of the display appliance  200  (i.e., AV  202  and DVD  204 ). The micro computer  210  display the signal to the user over the present input mode through the display  214  (step S 302 ).  
         [0033]    Otherwise, if the micro computer  210  is connected to the set top box  100 , the micro computer  210  detects whether or not there is receipt of the signal from the set top box  100  (step S 304 ). Receiving the signal from the set top box  100 , the micro computer  210  detects whether or not there are any signals received from the external input terminals of the display (i.e., AV  202  and DVD  204 ) (step S 308 ).  
         [0034]    Receiving the signals from the external input terminals of the display appliance  200  and the set top box  100 , the micro computer  210  preferentially selects and processes the signal outputted from the set top box  100 , and displays the signal to the user over the present input mode through the display  214  (step S 310 ). In case the set top box  100  outputs the signal inputted to the AV 1   104  (among the signals inputted via the external input terminals, i.e., AV 1 , AV 2 , AV 3  and DVD), for example, the micro computer  210  displays y‘STB AV 1 ’ through an on-screen display (OSD) so as to display the signal to the user over the present input mode. The micro computer  210  of the display appliance  200  may receive the information regarding the input mode of the set top box  100  from the micro computer  116  of the set top box  100  via an interface integrated circuit (IIC).  
         [0035]    Otherwise, if the micro computer  210  receives the signals not from the set top box  100  but from the external input terminals of the display appliance  200  (i.e., AV  202  and DVD  204 ), the micro computer  210  selects and processes any one of the signals inputted from the external input terminals of the display appliance  200  (i.e., AV  202  and DVD  204 ) (step S 306 ). Further, the micro computer  210  displays the signal to the user over the present input mode through the display  214 . In case the set top box  100  outputs the signal inputted to the DVD  204  (among the signals inputted via the external input terminals, i.e., AV  202  and DVD  204 ), for example, the micro computer  210  displays the ‘MNT COMPONENT’ through the OSD so as to display the signal to the user over the present input mode.  
         [0036]    In the state where the signal is not inputted via the external input terminals of the display appliance  200  (i.e., AV  202  and DVD  204 ), if the micro computer  210  receives the signal from the set top box  100 , the micro computer  210  processes the signal inputted from the set top box  100 , and simultaneously displays the signal to the user over the present input mode (step S 312 ).  
         [0037]    At the time the micro computer  210  automatically selects and outputs any one of the signals inputted from the external input terminals of the display appliance  200  (i.e., AV  202  and DVD  204 ) or the external input terminals of the set top box  100  (i.e., PC  102 , AV 1   104 , AV 2   106 , AV 3   108 , and DVD  110 ), if the user requests the change of the input mode through the operating unit  218  (step S 314 ), the micro computer  210  shows the desired input mode by allowing the user to select the wanted input mode (step S 316 ). The input mode selectable by the user includes, as shown in FIG. 3, STB PC, MNT COMPONENT, STB COMPONENT, MNT AV, STB AV 1 , STB AV 2 , STB AV 3 , and so forth. ‘STB PC’ means a computer input mode through the set top box  100 , ‘MNT COMPONENT’ means a reproducing input mode of the DVD, CD or cassette tape through the external input terminal of the display appliance  200 , ‘STB COMPONENT’ means a reproducing input mode of the DVD, CD or cassette tape through the set top box  100 , ‘MNT AV’ means the AV signal directly inputted to the display appliance  200 , and ‘STB AV 1 ’ to ‘STB AV 3 ’ mean AV signals inputted via the set top box  100 .  
         [0038]    If the user selects the wanted input mode using the operating unit  218  by reference to the displayed input mode, the micro computer  210  controls the AV switch  112  and RGB switch  118  of the set top box  100  and the AV switch  206  of the display appliance  200  so as to selectively output the input signal corresponding to the selected mode. In addition, the micro computer  210  displays the signal to the user over the present input mode through the display  214  (step S 318 ).  
         [0039]    With the above description, the present invention may select and output the external input signal regardless of whether or not a signal is received from the set top box, thereby providing the user with convenience of use.  
         [0040]    In addition, the present invention selects the input signal depending upon the connecting state to the set top box and the signal receiving state from the set top box, thereby maintaining consistency with the conventional method of selecting the input signal and thus being applicable to the users experienced in the conventional method of use.  
         [0041]    The forgoing embodiment is merely exemplary and is not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. The description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.