Abstract:
A digital television comprises at least one input interface for transmitting input signals, at least one processing unit connected to the input interface to receive the input signals and processing the input signals to output signals and then outputting the output signals, a scalar connected to the processing unit for receiving, adjusting and transmitting the output signals, a screen for displaying the output signals from the scalar, a diagnostic unit for generating a diagnostic signal, a storage unit and a starting unit for generating a starting signal and transmitting to the diagnostic unit to cause the diagnostic unit to start operating.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a self-diagnostic method and device, and more particularly to a self-diagnostic method and device for a digital television.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     A conventional digital television(TV) has many input interfaces, such as an antenna, a cable television cable, a VGA interface and a chromatic aberration terminal (e.g. an YPbPr terminal) for a user to connect many signal generating devices such as a video recorder, a personal computer and a digital VHS (DVHS) video player. However, the user sometimes connects the signal generating devices to an improper input interface or the signal generating device is not in a normal audio/video signal generating state. Then, an image can not display on a screen of the digital television. The user is unable to determine whether the signal generating device is connected in the improper input interface, or the signal generating device or the digital television is malfunctioned. Thus, a maintenance worker has to solve a question that an image cannot display on a screen of the digital television. It is troublesome and increases maintenance cost and time.  
         [0005]     Please refer to  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a schematic view showing a conventional digital television set. The conventional television set comprises many input interfaces such as antenna  1 , a cable television cable  2 , a VGA interface  3 , a YPbPr terminal  4 , an high definition multimedia (HDMI) terminal  5 , an AV interface  6  and an S-Video interface  7 . The antenna  1  and the cable television cable  2  transmit input signals generated from external signal generating devices to a tuner  8 . The VGA interface  3  and the YPbPr terminal  4  transmit input signals generated from the external signal generating devices to a converter  9 . The HDMI terminal  5  transmits an input signal generated from the external signal generating device to a receiver  10 . The AV interface  6  and the S-Video interface  7  transmit input signals generated from the external signal generating devices to a decoder  11 . The tuner  8 , the converter  9 , the receiver  10  and the decoder  11  transmit output signals to a scalar  12  after receiving the input signals and processing preliminarily to be the output signals. The scalar  12  receives and adjusts the output signals and then transmits them to be displayed on a screen  13 . As mentioned above, when the user connects the signal generating device to an improper input interface, for example, the DVHS video player is connected to the AV interface  26  instead of the YPbPr terminal  24 , or the DVHS video player is not in a normal video/audio signal generating state, an image cannot display on the screen  13 . Because the digital television is without a self-diagnostic device, the user has no way to determine whether the DVHS video player or the digital TV is malfunctioned or the input interface is connected incorrectly. Therefore, the maintenance worker has to solve the question that the image cannot display on the screen  13  of the digital television. It is troublesome and increases maintenance cost and time.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     One object of the present invention is to provide a self-diagnostic method for a digital television, capable of determining whether a processing unit in the digital television is abnormal or not.  
         [0007]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-diagnostic method for a digital television, allowing a user himself to process a diagnostic for a digital television so as to reduce the maintenance cost and time.  
         [0008]     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a self-diagnostic method, preventing a user from being unable to determine whether a signal generating device is malfunctioned or is connected to an improper relative interface, or a digital television is malfunctioned when the signal generating device is connected to the improper input interface or the signal generating device is not in a normal video/audio signal generating state.  
         [0009]     For attaining to the objects mentioned above, a digital television according to the present invention comprises at least one input interface for transmitting input signals, at least one processing unit connected to the input interface so as to be used for receiving the input signals and outputting output signals after processing the input signals to be the output signals, a scalar connected to the processing unit and receiving, adjusting and transmitting the output signals, a screen receiving and displaying the output signals from the scalar, a diagnostic unit for generating a diagnostic signal, a storage unit, a driving unit, a starting unit for generating a starting signal and transmitting it to the diagnostic unit to cause the diagnostic unit to start operating.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     The present invention can be more fully understood by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view, showing a conventional digital television set;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view, showing a digital television set of the present invention; and  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart, showing steps of a self-diagnostic method for a digital television of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]     Please refer to  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a schematic view showing a digital television set according to the present invention. The digital television comprises an input interface  20 , a processing unit  40 , a scalar  32 , a screen  33 , a diagnostic unit  35 , a storage unit  36  and a starting unit  37 . The input interface  20  comprises input interfaces such as an antenna  21 , a cable television cable  22 , a VGA interface  23 , a YPbPr terminal  24 , an HDMI terminal  25 , an AV interface  26  and an S-Video interface  27 . The processing unit  40  comprises a tuner  28 , a converter  29 , a receiver  30  and a decoder  31 . The antenna  21  and the cable television cable  22  are connected to the tuner  28  and transmit input signals generated from external signal generating devices to the tuner  28 . The VGA interface  23  and YPbPr terminal  24  are connected to the converter  29  and transmit input signals generated from external signal generating devices to the converter  29 . The HDMI terminal  25  is connected to the receiver  30  and transmits input signals generated from an external signal generating device to the receiver  30 . The AV interface  26  and the S-Video interface  27  are connected to the decoder  31  and transmit input signals generated from external signal generating device to the decoder  31 . The tuner  28 , the converter  29 , the receiver  30  and the decoder  31  receive and process preliminarily the input signals into output signals. The scalar  32  is connected to the processing device  40  to receive and process the output signals from the processing device  40 , and transmits the output signals to displays an image on the screen  33 .  
         [0015]     The digital television of the present invention further comprises a diagnostic unit  35 , a storage unit  36  and a starting unit  37 . The diagnostic unit  35  is connected to the scalar  32 , the processing unit  40  and the storage unit  36 . The starting unit  37  can be an on screen display (OSD) or a button of the digital television for generating a starting signal to a diagnostic unit  35 . The diagnostic unit  35  can use a central processing unit (CPU), and can share the same central processing unit (CPU) with the scalar  32 . The diagnostic unit  35  is used for receiving the starting signal and generating a diagnostic signal to the processing unit  40 . The processing unit  40  is used for receiving the diagnostic signal and generating a reply signal to the diagnostic unit  35 . The storage unit  36  can be a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) for recording the starting signal and the reply signal received by the diagnostic unit  35 .  
         [0016]     Please refer to  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 3  is a flow chart of a self-diagnostic method executed by the elements mentioned above. The self-diagnostic method comprises the following steps:  
         [0017]     Step  41 : transmitting a starting signal from a starting unit to a diagnostic unit;  
         [0018]     Step  42 : generating a diagnostic signal from the diagnostic unit and transmitting the diagnostic signal to a processing unit;  
         [0019]     Step  43 : generating a reply signal from the processing unit and transmitting the reply signal back to the diagnostic unit; and  
         [0020]     Step  44 : displaying a diagnostic result on a screen and storing the diagnostic result in a storage unit.  
         [0021]     Therefore, when a user connects a signal generating device to an improper input interface, for example, connects a DVHS video player to the AV interface  26  instead of the YPbPr terminal  24  that should be connected or the DVHS video player is not in a normal video/audio signal generating state, the user has no way to determine whether the DVHS video player is malfunctioned or connected to the improper input interface, or a digital television is malfunctioned. In the meantime, the user can operate the starting unit  37  to generate a starting signal to the diagnostic unit  35  to allow the diagnostic unit  35  to start operating and generate a diagnostic signal to the tuner  28 , the converter  29 , the receiver  30  and the decoder  31 . If the tuner  28 , the converter  29 , the receiver  30  and the decoder  31  are in a normal state, a reply signal is generated and transmitted back to the diagnostic unit  35 . If the tuner  28 , the converter  29 , the receiver  30  and the decoder  31  are in an abnormal state, the reply signal is not transmitted to the diagnostic unit  35 . The processing unit  40  such as the tuner  28 , the converter  29 , the receiver  30  or the decoder  31  is in a normal state without damage through the reply signal to the diagnostic unit  35 , and further the diagnostic result is displayed on the screen  33  by the scalar  32 . Therefore, the user can know the diagnostic result from the screen  33  and further what state each internal element in the digital television is in. If the internal elements are in a normal state, that the DVHS video player is connected to the improper input interface or the DVHS video player is not in a normal video/audio signal generating state can be determined. After the diagnostic result is produced, the diagnostic result can be stored in the storage unit  36  for future reference when the maintenance is needed. Therefore, when a power supplier is malfunctioned or an electric power cut happens, the last diagnostic result can be known via the storage unit  36 , and the last diagnostic result can be further downloaded to an external device such as a computer for analyzing through an interface such as a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART). Furthermore, the oldest diagnostic result is deleted to vacate a storage space for recording the newest diagnostic result when the storage unit  36  records diagnostic results many times and exceeds a capacity of the storage unit  36 .  
         [0022]     Besides, a continuous diagnostic manner can also be adopted in the self-diagnostic method of the present invention. A timer unit is connected (not shown in the figure) to the starting unit to control the starting unit to generate a starting signal to the diagnostic unit in a predetermined time interval so as to allow the diagnostic unit to diagnostic the state of the processing unit continuously in the predetermined time interval and records the diagnostic result in the storage unit. Therefore, when the digital television is damaged and malfunctioned, the records in the storage unit can be utilized as maintaining references.  
         [0023]     Comparing to a conventional digital television, the digital television of the present invention further comprises the diagnostic unit  35 , the storage unit  36  and the starting unit  37 . The user can use the method mentioned above, to diagnostic whether each processing unit in the digital television is malfunctioned and store the diagnostic results in the storage unit  36  for maintaining references so as to reduce the maintenance cost and time, and prevent the signal generating device from being connected to the improper input interface.  
         [0024]     Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.