Patent Publication Number: US-2006010482-A1

Title: Audio/video transmission device

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a transmission device, and more particularly to an audio/video transmission device.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      With digitalized trend, many consumable electronic products are developed to integrate high-quality digital audio/video contents into diverse apparatuses. In this generation, a multimedia device is one of the well-established consumable electronic products. With the user&#39;s requirement, favorite songs are stored in the memory unit of the multimedia device. Alternatively, voice data are converted into audio/video files, which are stored into the memory unit.  
      In order to achieve resource sharing functions, a transmission wire is required to interconnect the multimedia device with a personal computer such that the audio/video files or songs included in the multimedia device can be transmitted to the personal computer and stored therein. On the other hand, the audio/video files or songs stored in the personal computer can be downloaded into another multimedia device via the transmission wire. In other words, data exchange between one multimedia and another multimedia should be implemented via an intermediary personal computer. Since data fail to be directly transmitted from one multimedia to another multimedia, this approach is not user-friendly.  
      In views of the above-described disadvantages, the applicant keeps on carving unflaggingly to develop an audio/video transmission device according to the present invention through wholehearted experience and research.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      An object of the present invention is to provide an audio/video transmission device for implementing data exchange and resource sharing without using the intermediary personal computer.  
      In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an audio/video transmission device for receiving an audio/video signal. The audio/video transmission comprises an encoder, a storage medium, a decoder and a wireless transmission controller. The encoder is used for coding the audio/video signal into an audio/video file. The storage medium is electrically connected to the encoder for storing the audio/video file. The decoder is electrically connected to the storage medium for decoding the audio/video file into the audio/video signal. The wireless transmission controller is electrically connected to the decoder, and in wireless communication with an external wireless interface so as to perform data exchange between the wireless transmission controller and the external wireless interface.  
      In an embodiment, the encoder is a MPEG4 encoder for converting the audio/video signal into the audio/video file in a MPEG4 format. The decoder is a MPEG4 decoder for decoding the audio/video file in the MPEG4 format into the audio/video signal.  
      In an embodiment, the encoder is a MP3 encoder for converting the audio/video signal into the audio/video file in a MP3 format. The decoder is a MP3 decoder for decoding the audio/video file in the MP3 format into the audio/video signal.  
      Preferably, the storage medium is selected from a group consisting of a flash memory, a compact disc-rewritable (CD-RW) and a digital versatile disk-rewritable (DVD-RW).  
      In an embodiment, the wireless transmission controller is operated according to an IEEE 802.16 protocol, and the external wireless interface is an IEEE 802.16 wireless interface.  
      In an embodiment, the wireless transmission controller is operated according to an ultra-wideband (UWB) protocol, and the external wireless interface is a UWB wireless interface.  
      In an embodiment, the audio/video transmission device further comprises a USB OTG (On-The-Go) controller electrically connected to the storage medium and in communication with an external USB interface so as to exchange the audio/video file between the USB OTG controller and the external USB interface.  
      In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an audio/video transmission device for receiving an audio/video signal. The audio/video transmission device comprises a signal converter, a storage medium and a USB OTG (On-The-Go) controller. The signal converter is used for converting the audio/video signal into an audio/video file and decoding the audio/video file into the audio/video signal. The storage medium is electrically connected to the signal converter for storing the audio/video file. The USB OTG (On-The-Go) controller electrically connected to the storage medium and in communication with an external USB interface so as to exchange the audio/video file between the USB OTG controller and the external USB interface.  
      In an embodiment, the signal converter is an encoder-decoder.  
      In an embodiment, the signal converter is a MPEG4 encoder-decoder for converting the audio/video signal into an audio/video file in a MPEG4 format and decoding the audio/video file into the audio/video signal.  
      In an embodiment, the signal converter is a MP3 encoder-decoder for converting the audio/video signal into an audio/video file in a MP3 format and decoding the audio/video file into the audio/video signal.  
      In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an audio/video transmission device for receiving an audio/video signal. The audio/video transmission device comprises a coder, a storage medium, a decoder, a first wireless transmission controller, a second wireless transmission controller and a USB OTG (On-The-Go) controller. The encoder is used for encoding the audio/video signal into an audio/video file. The storage medium is electrically connected to the encoder for storing the audio/video file. The decoder is electrically connected to the storage medium for decoding the audio/video file into the audio/video signal. The first wireless transmission controller is electrically connected to the decoder, operated according to an IEEE 802.16 protocol and in wireless communication with an external IEEE 802.16 wireless interface so as to perform data exchange between the first wireless transmission controller and the external IEEE 802.16 wireless interface. The second wireless transmission controller is electrically connected to the decoder, operated according to an UWB protocol and in wireless communication with an external UWB wireless interface so as to perform data exchange between the second wireless transmission controller and the external UWB wireless interface. The USB OTG (On-The-Go) controller is electrically connected to the storage medium and in communication with an external USB interface so as to exchange the audio/video file between the USB OTG controller and the external USB interface.  
      The above contents of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic circuit configuration of an audio/video transmission device according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a schematic circuit configuration of an audio/video transmission device according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic circuit configuration of an audio/video transmission device according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 4  is a schematic circuit configuration of an audio/video transmission device according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , a schematic circuit configuration of an audio/video transmission device according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The audio/video transmission device  10  comprises a MPEG4 encoder  11 , a MPEG4 decoder  12 , a MP3 encoder  13 , a MP3 decoder  14 , a storage medium  15  and a wireless transmission controller  16 .  
      The MPEG4 encoder  11  is electrically connected to the storage medium  15  for receiving audio/video signals in an analog or digital form. The audio/video signals are then converted to audio/video files in a MPEG4 format. By the MPEG4 decoder  12 , the audio/video files stored in the storage medium  15  will be decoded, and the decoded audio/video signals are outputted as required.  
      The MP3 encoder  13  is electrically connected to the storage medium  15  for receiving audio signals in an analog or digital form such as music songs. The audio signals are then converted to audio files in a MP3 format. By the MP3 decoder  14 , the audio files stored in the storage medium  15  will be decoded, and the decoded audio signals are outputted as required.  
      The wireless transmission controller  16  is electrically connected to the MPEG4 decoder  12  and operated according to the IEEE 802.16 protocol. This wireless transmission controller  16  can be wirelessly communicated with an external IEEE 802.16 wireless interface (not shown) so as to perform data exchange between this wireless transmission controller  16  and the external IEEE 802.16 wireless interface.  
      The IEEE 802.16 wireless interface is a specialized wireless interface for transmitting audio or video signals but fails to directly access the general data files. Prior to data exchange between this wireless transmission controller  16  and the external IEEE 802.16 wireless interface, the MPEG4 audio/video files and the MP3 files stored in the storage medium  15  should be decoded via the MPEG4 decoder  12  and MP3 decoder  14 , respectively.  
      The storage medium  15  can store the MPEG4 audio/video files and the MP3 files. In addition, the backup audio or video files stored in the external data processing apparatus can be transmitted from the external IEEE 802.16 wireless interface to the audio/video transmission device  10  of the present invention and stored in the storage medium  15 .  
      Since the audio/video transmission device  10  of the present invention is communicated with the external IEEE 802.16 wireless interface to perform data exchange between this wireless transmission controller  16  and the external IEEE 802.16 wireless interface, no additional intermediary personal computer is required, and thus the audio/video transmission device  10  of the present invention is more user-friendly than that of prior art.  
      Referring to  FIG. 2 , a schematic circuit configuration of an audio/video transmission device according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The audio/video transmission device  20  comprises a signal converter  21 , a storage medium  22  and a USB OTG (On-The-Go) controller  23 .  
      The signal converter  21  is electrically connected to the storage medium  22 , and comprises a MPEG4 encoder-decoder (CODEC)  211  and a MP3 encoder-decoder  212 . Via the MPEG4 encoder-decoder  211 , the inputted audio/video signals in an analog or digital form are converted to audio/video files in a MPEG4 format and then stored in the storage medium  22 . In a case that the audio/video files are decoded via the MPEG4 encoder-decoder  211 , the audio/video signals will be outputted to be played. Via the MP3 encoder-decoder  212 , the audio signals in an analog or digital form such as music songs are converted to audio files in a MP3 format and then stored in the storage medium  22 . In a case that the audio files are decoded via the MP3 encoder-decoder  212 , the audio signals will be outputted to be played.  
      The USB OTG controller  23  is electrically connected to the MPEG4 encoder-decoder  211 , the MP3 encoder-decoder  212  and the storage medium  22 . The USB OTG controller  23  is implemented by a USB OTG interface, which is an extended USB2.0 specification. When a transmission wire (not shown) is coupled to an external data processing apparatus having a USB interface, the audio/video transmission device  20  of the present invention can be communicated with the external data processing apparatus to perform data exchange.  
      Since the USB OTG interface may directly access the general data files, the MPEG4 audio/video files or MP3 audio files stored in the storage medium  22  can be transmitted to the external data processing apparatus having the USB interface.  
      The storage medium  22  can store the MPEG4 audio/video files and the MP3 files. In addition, the backup audio or video files stored in external data processing apparatus can be transmitted from the USB interface thereof to the audio/video transmission device  20  of the present invention and stored in the storage medium  22 .  
      Since the audio/video transmission device  20  of the present invention is communicated with the external USB interface to perform data exchange between the USB OTG controller  23  and the external USB interface, no additional intermediary personal computer is required, and thus the audio/video transmission device  20  of the present invention is more user-friendly than that of prior art.  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , a schematic circuit configuration of an audio/video transmission device according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The audio/video transmission device  30  comprises a signal converter  31 , a storage medium  32  and an ultra-wideband (UWB) controller  33 .  
      The signal converter  31  is an encoder-decoder electrically connected to the storage medium  32  and the UWB controller  33 , and has both coding and decoding functions. Via the signal converter  31 , the inputted audio/video signals or the audio signals in an analog or digital form are converted to audio/video files in a MPEG4 or MP3 format and stored in the storage medium  32 . In a case that the MPEG4 audio/video files or the MP3 audio files are decoded via the signal converter  31 , the MPEG4 audio/video signals or the MP3 audio signals will be outputted to play.  
      The UWB controller  33  is implemented by a UWB wireless interface so as to perform wireless date exchange between the UWB controller  33  and an external UWB wireless interface. Alternatively, via the UWB controller  33 , the decoded MPEG4 audio/video signals or MP3 audio signals can be directly transmitted to the external data processing apparatus having the external UWB wireless interface so as to be outputted to play.  
      The storage medium  32  can store the MPEG4 audio/video files and the MP3 files. In addition, the backup audio or video files stored in the external data processing apparatus can be transmitted from the UWB interface thereof to the audio/video transmission device  30  of the present invention and stored in the storage medium  32 .  
      Since the audio/video transmission device  30  of the present invention is communicated with the external UWB interface to perform data exchange between the UWB controller  33  and the external UWB interface, no additional intermediary personal computer is required, and thus the audio/video transmission device  30  of the present invention is more user-friendly than that of prior art.  
      Referring to  FIG. 4 , a schematic circuit configuration of an audio/video transmission device according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The audio/video transmission device  40  comprises a MPEG4 encoder  41 , a MPEG4 decoder  42 , a MP3 encoder  43 , a MP3 decoder  44 , a storage medium  45 , a wireless transmission controller (IEEE 802.16)  46 , a USB OTG (On-The-Go) controller  47  and an ultra-wideband (UWB) controller  48 . The operation principles of the MPEG4 encoder  41 , the MPEG4 decoder  42 , the MP3 encoder  43 , the MP3 decoder  44 , the storage medium  45 , the IEEE 802.16 controller  46 , the USB OTG controller  47  and the UWB controller  48  are similar to those described above, and are not intended to be described redundantly herein.  
      Since the IEEE 802.16 interface, the USB OTG interface and the UWB interface are integrated into the audio/video transmission device  40  of this embodiment, the audio/video transmission device  40  of the present invention can be communicated with any external data processing apparatus having the IEEE 802.16 interface, USB OTG interface or UWB interface.  
      It is noted that, however, those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the transmission may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be limited only by the bounds of the following claims.  
      In the above embodiments, each of the storage medium  15 ,  22 ,  32  and  45  can be a flash memory, a compact disc-rewritable (CD-RW) or a digital versatile disk-rewritable (DVD-RW).  
      From the above description, the audio/video transmission device of the present invention is capable of implementing data exchange and resource sharing without using the intermediary personal computer. The encoder-decoder used in the above embodiments has functions of encoding and decoding the MPEG4 audio/video files or MP3 audio files. The backup audio or video files stored in the storage medium can be transmitted to the external data processing apparatus. In addition, the backup audio or video files stored in the external data processing apparatus can be transmitted from the external interface to the audio/video transmission device of the present invention and stored in the storage medium of the audio/video transmission device. Moreover, in addition to transmitting data, the audio/video transmission device of the present invention can be used to play the audio or video files, and thus the audio/video transmission device of the present invention is more flexible.  
      While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.