Patent Publication Number: US-2006010291-A1

Title: Display device adapter with digital media interface

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to the field of electronic display devices, and, in particular, interfacing devices to electronic display devices.  
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
      Digital cameras typically operate by storing image information corresponding to photographs taken on media devices for subsequent viewing. Various media devices have been designed for use in the storage of image information in digital cameras. Memory Stick, utilized primarily by Sony Corporation for the storage of image information, is one such media device. SmartMedia™ is Toshiba Corporation&#39;s trademarked name for a media device that stores image information and complies with the Solid State Floppy Disk Card (SSFDC) format. Other media such as CompactFlash™ and Secured Digital (SD) Card have been developed. Each media device design has different mechanical and/or electrical characteristics.  
      As with the variety of different media devices designs utilized for the storage of image information, the image information itself may be stored in a variety of different formats on these media devices. The different formats for still image information are voluminous and include TIFF (Tagged Image File Format), GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) and JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). While any of these formats may be utilized to store still pictures, most digital cameras store the image information in the JPEG format. For moving pictures storage various possibilities for the format of stored information. These formats include AVI (Audio Video Interleave) and MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group).  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
      Embodiments of the present invention will be described referencing the accompanying drawings in which like references denote similar elements, and in which:  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a block diagram for an adapter with a first and a second media interface, in accordance with one embodiment.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates a block diagram for an adapter with a digital media interface in accordance with another embodiment.  
       FIG. 3  illustrates a block diagram for an adapter with a digital media interface in accordance with yet another embodiment.  
       FIG. 4  illustrates an adapter and display device having an IR receiver, in accordance with one embodiment.  
       FIG. 5  illustrates an adapter with USB interface capability to a both display device and a USB receptacle, in accordance with one embodiment.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
      In the following detailed description, a novel apparatus for displaying stored image information on a display device is disclosed. In this description, mention is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.  
      The phrase display device, as used herein, is meant to include a device capable of displaying images. Thus, the phrase display device is meant to include, but is not limited to projectors, liquid crystal displays, cathode ray tube displays, and plasma displays.  
      The phrase media devices, as used herein, is meant to include a device capable of storing still images or motion images on a media. Thus, the phrase media device is meant to include, but is not limited to, flash memory devices such as Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Solid State Floppy Disk Card (SSFDC), Multi Media Card (MMC), Secured Digital (SD™ Card), CompactFlash™, xD-Picture Card™, and Universal Serial Bus (USB) compact flash memory. In addition, while the discussions below focuses on the processing of still image photographs, the disclosure should not be so limited. The devices which store the image data on the image devices may store motion images in addition to still images.  
      As mentioned, still image or motion image information may be stored on media devices by image capturing devices, e.g. digital cameras. The image information stored on image devices can transferred to other devices in a number of ways. The information may be transferred directly to another device by connecting a cable between the image capturing device and the other device. A common method of such transfer with a cable is via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable. The information may also be transferred wirelessly via infrared (IR) or radio frequency (RF). In addition, the information may be transferred to another device by removing the image device from the image capturing device and placing it in an appropriate receptacle on the other device.  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a block diagram for an adapter  100  for use with a display device, in accordance with one embodiment. The adapter  100  may accept a media device as input at a first  142  and second  144  media interface/receptacles, and, as output, provide display information via a plug  130 . The plug  130  may allow the adapter  100  to be plugged into a display device (not illustrated) having compatible receptacle. For example, the plug  130  may be an M1-D or M1-A plug compliant with the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) M1 Display Interface System Standard. The plug  130  would allow the adapter  100  to interface with a display adapter containing an M1-D, M1-A or M1-DA compatible receptacle. The first  142  and second  144  media interface/receptacles are for receiving media devices. The first  142  and second  144  media interface/receptacles may be two receptacles to receive media devices of the same type or different type.  
      Upon insertion of a media device in an appropriate media receptacle, an imaging processor  100  may operate in various ways depending on its configuration. In one embodiment, upon insertion of the media device into the adapter  100 , an image processor  110  detects the media type and may begin the download of a first stored image. In one embodiment, the downloaded image may be stored locally in memory  120 . In another embodiment, the downloaded image is processed and sent to the display device interface plug  130  for display by the display device.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates a block diagram for an adapter  200  with media interfaces  243   245  and receptacles  242   244  in accordance with another embodiment. In this embodiment, a digital imaging and video processor  210  is utilized in the adapter  200 . Coupled to the digital imaging and video processor  210  is synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM)  220  that is utilized by the digital imaging and video processor  210  to, among other things, process image data received from media devices. Serial Flash device  222  is utilized to store, among other things, operating instructions for the digital imaging and video processor  210 . When the adapter is supplied with power, the digital imaging and video processor  210  copies the operating instructions to the SDRAM  220 .  
      In the embodiment illustrated, a Solid State Floppy Disk Card (SSFDC) interface  243  and receptacle  242  exist to provide the ability to interface with very small and lightweight flash memories, SSFDCs. In such an embodiment a SSFDC receptacle  242  in the adapter is designed to fit the profile of an SSDFC. The SSFDC receptacle  242  is designed to allow for the electrical interface of the SSFDC interface  243  to connect with an SSFDC, for example a SmartMedia™ device from Toshiba Corporation, when the SSFDC is positioned in the SSFDC receptacle  242 . In this embodiment, in addition to the SSFDC interface  243  and receptacle  242  a Memory Stick interface  245  and receptacle  244  is part of the adapter. The receptacle is designed to fit the profile of a memory stick media device such that the electrical interface of the Memory Stick interface  243  to connect with a Memory Stick device when the Memory Stick device is positioned in the Memory Stick receptacle  244 . In various other embodiments any number of interfaces to various media devices is supported. Fox example, in one embodiment, a single interface to CompactFlash device is present.  
       FIG. 3  illustrates a block diagram for an adapter  300  with media device interfaces in accordance with yet another embodiment. In the embodiment illustrated an Atmel AT76C120 high performance digital imaging and video processor  310  is utilized in the adapter  300  to process image data. While in the embodiment shown an Atmel Imaging Processor is illustrated, other image processors from the same vendor or additional vendors such as Chipwright, Cirrus, Tex. Instruments and Phillips may be utilized. The imaging processor  310  is coupled to a 1 megabyte serial flash device  322  and 32 megabytes of SDRAM  320 . The serial flash device may contain operational instructions that may be download to the SDRAM  320  by video processor  310  the when the adapter  300  is powered on. The imaging processor  310  then executes the operational instructions from the SDRAM  320 .  
      The imaging processor  310  is coupled to several media interfaces. For example, the imaging processor  310  is coupled to a multiple device interface and corresponding receptacles. The multiple device interface comprises a 5 in 1 flash card interface is capable of communicating with five different flash memory devices. The five include MMC, Memory Stick, SSFDC, Secured Digital (SD) Card, and xD-Picture Card. The 5 in 1 flash card interface is coupled to appropriate receptacles for handing the various form factors of these different flash memory devices. In addition to being coupled to the 5 in 1 interface, the imaging processor  310  is coupled to a CompactFlash interface  342 . The CompactFlash interface  342  and 5 in 1 interface  344  are arranged such that, when a media device is inserted in an appropriate receptacle the media device is in electrical contact with the corresponding interface. In addition, in the embodiment illustrated, the a Compact Flash interface  342  and the 5 in 1 interface share pins of the interface to the imaging processor  310 . In other embodiments, different media interfaces have separate connectivity to the imaging processor  310  resulting in no sharing of pins. The imaging processor  310  is additionally coupled to a Universal Serial Bus interface including a type A receptacle  370 . This may allow, for example, the ability for users to plug USB flash memory devices into the adapter  300 .  
      The imaging processor  310  is further coupled to a Transition Minimized Differential Signal (TMDS) transmitter  350 . The imaging processor  310  reads image information from a media device. This image information may be in the form of, for example, a JPEG file. The imaging processor  310  converts the image information from the JPEG format to 24-bit Red-Green-Blue (RGB) data which is then provided to the TMDS transmitter  350 . In the embodiment illustrated, the TMDS transmitter  350  is coupled to an M1-D compatible plug  330 . The TMDS transmitter converts the RGB data to transmission minimized differential signals for transmission through the M1-D compatible plug  330 . In the embodiment illustrated, the imaging processor  310  generates a display data channel (DDC) directly and this signal  335  is also provided to the M1-D compatible plug  330 .  
      The adapter  300  may be powered in a number of ways. The power source may be external and supplied to the adapter via a power cable. However, in certain embodiments, when the adapter is coupled to the display device through a plug  330 , the adapter  300  may obtain power through one or more pins of the plug  330 . For example, if the plug  330  is an M1 plug, a display device may provide a +5V power supply to the adapter through the hot plug detect pin of the M1 plug when the adapter is coupled to the display device through an M1 receptacle. In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the +5V power supply may be provided to a DC/DC converter  360 . The output of the DC/DC converter  360  may provide power supply signals at an appropriate voltage level for the system. For example, assuming the electronic devices (processor, memory, etc.) in the adapter  300  operate with a 3.3V supply voltage, the DC/DC converter may supply 3.3V at the outputs of the DC/DC converter  360  for use by these electronic device.  
      In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , an infrared (IR) receiver  380  may be utilized to receive signals from an IR transmitter (not shown). The IR transmitter may be part of a user device that may be utilized to perform a number of different tasks related to the manipulation of the display of, for example, photographs stored on a media device. For example, a first transmitted signal from the IR transmitter to the IR receiver  380  on the adapter  300  may be utilized to initiate a slide show mode for photographs on a media device provided to the adapter  300 . Upon initialization of a slide show mode, additional transmitted signals received by the IR receiver  380  can be used to advance to a next photograph or move backwards to a previously viewed photograph.  
       FIG. 4  illustrates an adapter  400  and display device  450  having an IR receiver  452 , in accordance with one embodiment. Instead of utilizing an IR transmitter  460  for sending signals to an IR receiver on the adapter, as discussed above, an IR transmitter may transmit signals to an IR receiver  452  in a display device  450 . In this embodiment, the display device  450  may be modified to support the receipt of commands for use by the adapter  400 . The adapter  400  and display device  450  comprise an M1-D plug  430  and receptacle  455 , respectively. Through the M1-D interface there is USB connectivity. The display device  450  can be programmed to recognize the adapter  400  by looking at the Hsync and Vsync signals when the adapter is plugged into the display device  450 . The adapter  400  can download information to the display device  450  regarding configuration information. When the display device  450  has detected an adapter  400  plugged into its M1-D receptacle  455  and received configuration information, the display device  450  may switch to a mode where it interprets certain received IR signals as instructions to be passed to the adapter  400 . These commands may then be transmitted from the display device  450  to the adapter  400  via USB link  415 . These commands may be related to the display of material present on a media device accessed through media interface  440 . IR transmitters and IR receivers have been utilized for transmitting control signals to display devices. Thus, their operation is well-known and will not be described further.  
       FIG. 5  illustrates an adapter with USB interface capability with a both display device and a USB receptacle, in accordance with one embodiment. An imaging processor  510  may contain a USB interface  540  to provide for serial communication with the imaging processor  510 . In the case where there is only a single USB interface to the imaging processor, to provide support for both USB information  556  from a display device and, for example, image data  554  from a USB device coupled to a USB Type A receptacle  570 , a USB hub  550  is utilized. The USB hub  550  may then provide switching function between the two information sources in order to provide. the data to the single USB interface  540  of the imaging processor  510 .  
      Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description of the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the specific embodiment shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention may be implemented in a very wide variety of embodiments. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.