Patent Description:
As the performance and functions of electronic apparatuses are diversified, there are various situations in which the electronic apparatuses require connection with a number of peripheral devices, that is, external apparatuses.

The electronic apparatus are provided with a connection port as an interface for connection with these external apparatuses. The electronic apparatus identifies a signal received from an external apparatus connected through a corresponding port, based on a predefined protocol for a connection port, and perform an operation based on the identified signal. <CIT> relates to a USB interface using repeaters with guest protocol support. <CIT> relates to the detection of different cable connections at a port of an electronic device. <CIT> relates to multiple interface detection circuits configured to connect with a mobile electronic device connector. <CIT> relates to a method and device for adjusting a signal transmission direction in a cable configured to be electrically coupled between a first interface port and a second interface port by detecting a characteristic on a pin of the first interface port. <CIT> relates to a bus circuit configured for communicating data in accordance with a main protocol and an alternate protocol.

<CIT> discloses to detect USB, HDMI or DisplayPort devices connected to an USB Type-C connector including a swtich.

The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus as defined by claim <NUM> and a method as defined by claim <NUM>. Advantageous implementations are defined by the dependent claims.

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:.

In the drawings, the same reference numbers or signs refer to components that perform substantially the same function, and the size of each component in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience.

In embodiments of the disclosure, terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components, and singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Also, in embodiments of the disclosure, it should be understood that terms such as 'comprise', 'configured', 'include', and 'have' do not preclude the existence or addition possibility of one or more other features or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. In addition, in the embodiment of the disclosure, a 'module' or a 'unit' performs at least one function or operation, and maybe implemented in hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software, and may be integrated into at least one module. In addition, in embodiments of the disclosure, at least one of the plurality of elements refers to not only all of the plurality of elements, but also each one or all combinations thereof excluding the rest of the plurality of elements.

Provided is an electronic apparatus that allows signals of a plurality of different protocols to be transmitted or received to or by a connection port provided for connection of an external apparatus, and a method of controlling the same.

<FIG> shows an example of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment.

As shown in <FIG>, an electronic apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment includes a connection port <NUM> capable of being connected to at least one external apparatus <NUM>.

The external apparatus <NUM> may include a connector <NUM>.

In one embodiment, one of a plurality of external apparatuses <NUM>, for example, a first external apparatus <NUM> or a second external apparatus <NUM>, may be connected to the connection port <NUM>.

Specifically, referring to <FIG>, by connecting either a connector <NUM> of the first external apparatus <NUM> or a connector <NUM> of the second external apparatus <NUM> to the connection port <NUM>, the first external apparatus <NUM> or the second external apparatus <NUM> may be connected to the electronic apparatus <NUM>.

In the electronic apparatus <NUM> according to the embodiment, the connection port <NUM> may be included in a wired interface circuitry (<NUM> in <FIG>) provided to transmit or receive a signal according to a predetermined protocol, that is, a predetermined specification or standard. That is, the wired interface circuitry <NUM> may include a connector, a terminal, or a port as a connection means corresponding to a corresponding protocol, and the connection port <NUM> is an example of the connection means.

The connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> may correspond to the connection port <NUM> provided in the electronic apparatus <NUM> to be connected.

In one embodiment, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may communicate with the external apparatus <NUM> based on the connection between the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> and the connection port <NUM>.

<FIG> shows an example of the connection port of the electronic apparatus according to the embodiment, and <FIG> shows an example of the connector of the external apparatus that corresponds to the connection port of the electronic apparatus.

In the electronic apparatus <NUM> according to the embodiment, the connection port <NUM> of the wired interface circuitry <NUM> may be implemented as a common port allowing transmission or reception of signals of a plurality of different protocols.

The connection port <NUM> may correspond to a predetermined protocol in appearance. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the connection port <NUM> has a shape corresponding to a universal serial bus (USB) protocol, and may be implemented to have a shape of a USB C or USB Type-C port.

In one embodiment, the wired interface circuitry <NUM> including the connection port <NUM> having a shape corresponding to a predetermined protocol may implement an alternate mode.

The alternate mode allows an interface to transmit or receive signals of a plurality of different protocols. The interface implementing an alternate mode for USB Type C is implemented to receive signals based on other protocols as well as signals based on the USB protocol.

The wired interface circuitry <NUM> implementing the alternate mode for USB Type C may receive and process a signal based on a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) protocol. Furthermore, the wired interface circuitry <NUM> implementing the alternate mode for USB Type C may receive and process a signal based on a DisplayPort (DP) protocol.

The external apparatus <NUM> includes the connector <NUM> capable of being connected to the connection port <NUM> which is capable of receiving the USB signal and the HDMI signals.

The at least one external apparatus <NUM> may include a first external apparatus <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the first external apparatus <NUM> may be implemented as an HDMI source device capable of providing signals/data based on the HDMI protocol. The HDMI source device may include, for example, a set-top box (STB), an optical disk player such as a Blu-ray or a digital versatile disc (DVD), or the like.

The at least one external apparatus <NUM> may include a second external apparatus <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the second external apparatus <NUM> may be implemented as a mobile storage device such as a USB flash drive (hereinafter, referred to as a USB memory or a USB stick) capable of transmitting and receiving signals/data based on a USB protocol.

However, since the implementation type of the external apparatus <NUM> is not limited in the disclosure, other forms, for example, a mobile device capable of transmitting and receiving the signals/data based on the USB protocol, a DP source device capable of providing the signals/data based on the DP protocol, or the like may be included in the at least one external apparatus <NUM> of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, the at least one external apparatus <NUM> may be connected to the electronic apparatus <NUM> via a cable. For example, as shown in <FIG>, regarding the first external apparatus <NUM> implemented as the HDMI source device, the connector <NUM> provided at one end of the cable is connected to the connection port <NUM>, so the electronic apparatus <NUM> and the first external apparatus <NUM> may be interconnected.

According to an embodiment, the external apparatus <NUM> may be defined as a source device and the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be defined as a slave device, in a state in which the electronic apparatus <NUM> and the external apparatus <NUM> are communicatively interconnected. However, this is only a convenient term for distinguishing the two devices, and the names or roles of the devices do not limit the functions of each device.

As shown in <FIG>, the connection port <NUM> is provided with a plurality of pins.

As shown in <FIG>, the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> may be provided with a plurality of pins corresponding to the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM>, respectively.

The plurality of pins provided on the connection port <NUM> and the connector <NUM> may each be defined to transmit or receive a signal having characteristics defined corresponding to any one of a plurality of protocols, for example, USB or HDMI.

The electronic apparatus <NUM> may receive a signal having characteristics defined corresponding to the pin through a predefined pin among the plurality of pins provided in the connection port <NUM> of the wired interface circuitry <NUM>. For example, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may receive a power signal of a predetermined level, for example, <NUM> V as the predefined characteristics through at least one pin defined as a power pin among the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a pin map of a protocol applicable to a wired interface circuitry of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment. <FIG> shows a pin map corresponding to a HDMI alternate mode for USB Type C, that is, an HDMI source pin assignment for USB Type-C connector.

As shown in <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, in the HDMI alternate mode for USB Type C, the plurality of pins of the connector <NUM> may include at least one pin defined as ground pins (referred to as common GND) such as pins A12 and B12.

Here, the ground pin may be defined to receive a signal having a low state as a predefined status based on the connection of the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> to the connection port <NUM>. That is, in response to the connection of the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> to the connection port <NUM>, a signal received through the ground pin may be changed from a high state to a low state.

The electronic apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment may identify that the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM> based on the change in the signal status of the ground pin as described above. As an example, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may identify based on the change in the signal received through the pin A12 or the pin B12 from the high state to the low state that the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, in the HDMI alternate mode for USB Type C, pins A4 <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, pins B4 <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, pins A9 <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and pins B9 <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are defined as a USB power pin (VBUS pin) for USB usage (USB <NUM> V power from sink).

When the electronic apparatus <NUM> is connected to the external apparatus <NUM>, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may transmit a power signal having predefined characteristics, for example, a power signal of <NUM> V, to the external apparatus <NUM> through the pin A4 <NUM>, the pin B4 <NUM>, the pin A9 <NUM>, or the pin B9 <NUM> of the connection port <NUM>.

When the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the electronic apparatus <NUM>, the external apparatus <NUM> may receive a power signal having predefined characteristics, for example, a power signal of <NUM> V, from the electronic apparatus <NUM> through the pin A4 <NUM>, the pin B4 <NUM>, the pin A9 <NUM>, or the pin B9 <NUM> of the connector <NUM>.

In addition, in the HDMI alternate mode for USB type C, pins A5 <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and pins B5 <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be defined as HDMI power pins for the alternate mode (HDMI <NUM> V power form source).

When the electronic apparatus <NUM> is connected to the external apparatus <NUM>, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may receive a power signal having predefined characteristics, for example, a power signal of <NUM> V, from the external apparatus <NUM> through the pin A5 <NUM> or the pin B5 <NUM> of the connection port <NUM>.

When the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the electronic apparatus <NUM>, the external apparatus <NUM> may transmit a signal having a voltage of predefined characteristics, for example, a power signal of <NUM> V, to the electronic apparatus <NUM> through the pin A5 <NUM> or the pin B5 <NUM> of the connector <NUM>.

In addition, in the HDMI alternate mode for USB Type C, pins B10 <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and pins B11 <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are defined as transition minimized differential signaling (TMDS) type data pins for the alternate mode (TMDS data).

When the electronic apparatus <NUM> is connected to the external apparatus <NUM>, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may identify whether a clock signal (hereinafter, referred to as TDMS clock signal) having predefined characteristics is received from the external apparatus <NUM> through the pin B10 <NUM> or the pin B11 <NUM> of the connection port <NUM>.

When the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the electronic apparatus <NUM>, the external apparatus <NUM> may transmit a clock signal having predefined characteristics, that is, a TMDS clock signal, to the electronic apparatus <NUM> through the pin B10 <NUM> or the pin B11 <NUM> of the connector <NUM>.

When the electronic apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment is connected to the external apparatus <NUM>, the electronic apparatus <NUM> identifies whether the signal received through at least one of the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM> of the wired interface circuitry <NUM> has characteristics defined corresponding to the pin as described above and identify the protocol defined corresponding to the characteristics among the plurality of protocols in response to the identified results, thereby performing the communication with the external apparatus <NUM> based on the identified protocol.

Specific operations of the electronic apparatus <NUM> related to the identification of such a protocol will be described in more detail in the following embodiments.

The electronic apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment may receive a signal provided from an external signal supply source such as, an image source. For example, the source may include data related to predetermined content, and The electronic apparatus <NUM> may then process the received content data according to a preset process and display the processed content data as an image.

In one embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be implemented as a display apparatus equipped with a display <NUM> that may display an image. However, since the implementation type of the electronic apparatus <NUM> is not limited, as another embodiment, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be implemented as an image processing apparatus such as a set-top box that transmits a signal to a separate connectable display.

According to an embodiment, the electronic apparatus <NUM> implemented as the display apparatus may be implemented as a television (TV) capable of processing broadcast video based on at least one of a broadcast signal, broadcast information, or broadcast data that is received from sending equipment of a broadcasting station. <FIG> shows, as an example, the case in which the electronic apparatus <NUM> is a television. In this case, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be provided with a tuner for tuning a broadcast signal for each channel.

When the electronic apparatus <NUM> is a television, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may receive broadcast content based on at least one of the broadcast signal, the broadcast information, or the broadcast data received from the sending equipment of the broadcasting station through additional devices, such as, a set-top box (STB), a one-connect box (OC box), and a media box, that may be directly connected to the electronic apparatus <NUM> or connected to the electronic apparatus <NUM> by a cable or the like. This additional device may be included in the external apparatus <NUM> as an implementation example of the second external apparatus <NUM> such as the HDMI source device.

The electronic apparatus <NUM> may wirelessly receive, for example, a radio frequency (RF) signal transmitted from a broadcasting station, that is, broadcast content. To this end, an antenna capable of receiving a signal is provided in the electronic apparatus <NUM>.

In the electronic apparatus <NUM>, the broadcast content may be received through terrestrial waves, cables, satellites, and the like, and the signal source is not limited to the broadcasting station. That is, any apparatus or station capable of transmitting and receiving data may be included in the image source according to the disclosure.

Standards of the signal received from the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be configured in various ways corresponding to the implementation type of the device, and the electronic apparatus <NUM> corresponds to an implementation type of the wired interface circuitry <NUM>, and may receive, as video content, signals or data corresponding to standards such as a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), HDMI-consumer electronics control (HDMI-CEC), a display port (DP), composite video, component video, super video, a digital visual interface (DVI), thunderbolt, a RGB cable, Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorecepteurs et Televiseurs (SCART), and a universal serial bus (USB), by wire.

According to an embodiment, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be implemented as a smart TV or an internet protocol TV (IP TV). The smart TV may receive and display the broadcast signal in real time, and may have a web browsing function. Accordingly, the smart TV may be a TV that provides a convenient user environment for searching and consuming various content through the Internet while displaying the broadcast signal in real time. In addition, the smart TV may include an open software platform to provide interactive services to users. Therefore, the smart TV can provide various content, for example, content of applications providing predetermined services, to users through the open software platform. These applications are application programs that may provide various types of services, and include, for example, applications that provide services such as SNS, finance, news, weather, maps, music, movies, games, and e-books.

However, since the idea of the disclosure is not limited to the implementation example of the electronic apparatus <NUM>, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may also be applied to various types of implementation examples capable of processing an image, for example, a monitor of a personal computer (PC) such as a desktop or a laptop, in addition to a TV. As another example, the electronic apparatus <NUM> of the disclosure may be implemented as a terminal device such as a smart phone or a smart pad such as a tablet, or a mobile device.

The electronic apparatus <NUM> may process a signal so that a moving image, a still image, an application, an on-screen display (OSD), a user interface for various operation controls, and the like based on signals/data stored in internal/external storage media are displayed on the screen.

The electronic apparatus <NUM> may receive content by wired or wireless network communication from various external apparatuses including a content provider that is provided to provide content, and a type of communication is not limited thereto.

Specifically, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may correspond to the implementation type of the wireless interface (<NUM> in <FIG>) to be described later, and may receive, as video content, signals corresponding to standards, such as Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy, Zigbee, ultra-wideband (UWB), an near field communication (NFC), through wireless network communication. In addition, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may receive a content signal through a wired network communication such as the Ethernet.

Hereinafter, the configurations of the electronic apparatus according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> is a block diagram showing a configuration of the electronic apparatus according to an embodiment.

As shown in <FIG>, the electronic apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment may include the display <NUM>, the wired interface circuitry <NUM>, the wireless interface circuitry <NUM>, a user input interface <NUM>, a storage <NUM> including a driver, a power supplier <NUM>, and a processor <NUM>.

However, the configuration of the electronic apparatus <NUM> according to the embodiment shown in <FIG> is only an example, and the electronic apparatus according to another embodiment may be implemented in a configuration other than the configuration shown in <FIG>. That is, the electronic apparatus <NUM> of the disclosure may be implemented in a form in which configurations other than the configurations shown in <FIG> are added, or at least one of the configurations shown in <FIG> is excluded. In addition, the electronic apparatus <NUM> of the disclosure may be implemented in a form in which a part of the configurations configured in <FIG> is changed.

The implementation scheme of the display <NUM> may be implemented in various display schemes such as liquid crystal, plasma, a light-emitting diode, an organic light-emitting diode, a surface-conduction electron-emitter, carbon nano-tube, and nano-crystal without any limitations. In one embodiment, the display <NUM> may include a display panel displaying an image, and may further include additional configurations, such as a driver, according to the implementation scheme.

According to an embodiment, an image of content received from the external apparatus <NUM> may be displayed on the display <NUM>.

The wired interface circuitry <NUM> and the wireless interface circuitry <NUM> may allow the electronic apparatus <NUM> to communicate with various external apparatuses.

The wired interface circuitry <NUM> may transmit/receive signals/data according to the standards such as HDMI, HDMI-CEC, USB, component, display port (DP), DVI, thunderbolt, and RGB cable. Here, the wired interface circuitry <NUM> may include the connection port <NUM> such as at least one connector, terminal, or port corresponding to each of these standards.

The wired interface circuitry <NUM> may be implemented to include an input port that receives a signal from an image source or the like, and may be provided to transmit and receive signals in both directions by further including an output port in some cases.

The wired interface circuitry <NUM> may include connectors, ports, or the like according to video and/or audio transmission standards such as an HDMI port, DisplayPort, a DVI port, thunderbolt, composite video, component video, super video, and SCART so that an antenna capable of receiving a broadcast signal according to broadcasting standards such as terrestrial/satellite broadcasting may be connected or a cable capable of receiving a broadcast signal according to cable broadcasting standards may be connected. As another example, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may also include the antenna capable of receiving the broadcast signal.

The electronic apparatus <NUM> may further include a tuner for tuning the received broadcast signal for each channel when the video/audio signal received through the interface circuitry <NUM> is a broadcast signal. The tuner may include a demodulator that demodulates a tuned broadcast signal of a specific channel and outputs the demodulated broadcast signal as a transport stream (TS) type signal. In other words, the tuner and the demodulator may be designed as a single chip in an integrated form, or may each be implemented as two separate chips.

The wired interface circuitry <NUM> includes a connector, a port, or the like according to a universal data transmission standard such as a USB port.

In the electronic apparatus <NUM> the wired interface circuitry <NUM> includes the input port <NUM> for the USB type C, and in this case, the wired interface circuitry <NUM> may implement the HDMI alternate mode.

The wired interface circuitry <NUM> may include a connector, a port, or the like to which an optical cable may be connected according to an optical transmission standard. The wired interface circuitry <NUM> may be connected to an external microphone or an external audio device having a microphone, and may include a connector or a port capable of receiving or inputting an audio signal from an audio device. The wired interface circuitry <NUM> may be connected to an audio device such as a headset, an earphone, and an external speaker, and may include a connector, a port, or the like capable of transmitting or outputting an audio signal to the audio device. The wired interface circuitry <NUM> may include a connector or a port according to a network transmission standard such as the Ethernet. For example, the wired interface circuitry <NUM> may be implemented as a LAN card or the like which is wired to a router or a gateway.

The wired interface circuitry <NUM> may be wired to a set-top box, an external device such as an optical media playback device, an external display apparatus, a speaker, a server, or the like through the connector or the port in a <NUM> : <NUM> or <NUM> : N (N is a natural number) manner to receive video/audio signals from the corresponding external device or transmit the video/audio signals to the corresponding external device. The wired interface circuitry <NUM> may include a connector or a port for separately transmitting video/audio signals.

According to an embodiment, the wired interface circuitry <NUM> may be built in the electronic apparatus <NUM>, but may be implemented in the form of a dongle or a module and may be detached from the connector of the electronic apparatus <NUM>.

The wireless interface circuitry <NUM> may include a plurality of communication circuitries including wireless communication modules (S/W module, chip, and the like) corresponding to various kinds of communication protocols.

According to an embodiment, the wired interface circuitry <NUM> may include a switching module <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. The wired interface circuitry <NUM> may include a first communication circuitry <NUM> and a second communication circuitry <NUM> as a plurality of communication circuitries each corresponding to a plurality of protocols.

The switching module <NUM> may switch a signal connection between the connection port <NUM> and the plurality of communication circuitries, for example, the first communication circuitry <NUM> and the second communication circuitry <NUM>.

The electronic apparatus <NUM> shown in <FIG>, may provide a case where the wired interface circuitry <NUM> includes the first communication circuitry <NUM> and the second communication circuitry <NUM> as the plurality of communication circuitries is illustrated as an example. However, since the number of communication circuitries are not limited in the disclosure, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be implemented with the wired interface circuitry <NUM> further including at least one communication circuitry corresponding to other protocols other than the first communication circuitry <NUM> and the second communication circuitry <NUM>.

The wireless interface circuitry <NUM> may be implemented in various ways corresponding to the implementation type of the electronic apparatus <NUM>. For example, the wireless interface circuitry <NUM> may use wireless communications such as radio frequency (RF), Zigbee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ultra wideband (UWB), and near field communication (NFC) as a communication method.

According to an embodiment, the wireless interface circuitry <NUM> may include a wireless LAN unit. The wireless LAN unit may be wirelessly connected to an external apparatus through an access point (AP) under the control of the processor <NUM>. The wireless LAN unit may include a WiFi module.

According to an embodiment, the wireless interface circuitry <NUM> may include a wireless communication module that wirelessly supports one-to-one direct communication between the electronic apparatus <NUM> and an external apparatus without the access point. The wireless communication module may be implemented to support communication methods such as Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth low energy. When the electronic apparatus <NUM> directly communicates with an external apparatus, the storage <NUM> may store identification information (for example, a MAC address or an IP address) on an external apparatus that is a communication target device.

The electronic apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment, may include the wireless interface circuitry <NUM> provided to perform wireless communication with the external apparatus by at least one of a wireless LAN unit and a wireless communication module according to performance.

According to another embodiment, the wireless interface circuitry <NUM> may further include a communication module using various communication methods such as mobile communication such as LTE, EM communication including a magnetic field, and visible light communication.

The wireless interface circuitry <NUM> may wirelessly communicate with, for example, a server on a network to transmit and receive a data packet to and from the server.

The wireless interface circuitry <NUM> may include an IR transmitter and/or an IR receiver capable of transmitting and/or receiving an infrared (IR) signal according to an infrared communication standard. The wireless interface circuitry <NUM> may receive or input a remote control signal from the remote control or other external devices through the IR transmitter and/or the IR receiver, or transmit or output the remote control signal to other external devices. As another example, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may transmit and receive the remote control signal with the remote control or other external devices through the wireless interface circuitry <NUM> of other methods such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

According to an embodiment, the wireless interface circuitry <NUM> may transmit predetermined data as information on a user voice received through a sound receiver such as a microphone to the external apparatus such as a server. Here, the type/kind of transmitted data is not limited, and may include, for example, an audio signal corresponding to a voice uttered by a user, a voice feature extracted from an audio signal, and the like.

In addition, the wireless interface circuitry <NUM> may receive data of a processing result of the corresponding user voice from the external apparatus such as the server. The electronic apparatus <NUM> may output a sound corresponding to a result of processing a voice based on the received data through an internal or external loudspeaker.

However, in the above-described embodiment, as an example, the user voice may not be transmitted to the server, but may be processed by itself in the electronic apparatus <NUM>. That is, in another embodiment, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be implemented to perform the role of an STT server.

The electronic apparatus <NUM> may communicate with an input apparatus such as a remote control through the wireless interface circuitry <NUM> to receive a sound signal corresponding to the user voice from the input apparatus.

According to an embodiment of electronic apparatus <NUM>, a communication module for communicating with the external server or the like and a communication module for communicating with a remote control may be different from each other. For example, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may communicate with the server through an Ethernet modem or a Wi-Fi module, and communicate with a remote control and a Bluetooth module.

According to an embodiment of the electronic apparatus <NUM>, a communication module communicating with the external server or the like and a communication module communicating with a remote control may be the same as each other. For example, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may communicate with the server and the remote control through a Bluetooth module.

The user input interface <NUM> may transmit various preset control commands or unlimited information to the processor <NUM> based on user input.

The user input interface <NUM> may include a keypad (or input panel) including buttons such as a power key, a number key, and a menu key provided on the main body of the electronic apparatus <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the user input interface <NUM> may include an input apparatus that generates a preset command/data/information/signal to be able to remotely control the electronic apparatus <NUM> and transmits the generated preset command/data/information/signal to the electronic apparatus <NUM>. The input apparatus may include a remote control, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and may be separated from the main body of the electronic apparatus <NUM> to receive the user input. The remote control may be provided with a touch sensing unit that receives a user's touch input and/or a motion sensing unit that senses a user's motion. The input apparatus may include a terminal device such as a smartphone in which a remote control application is installed. In this case, the user's touch input may be received through the touch screen.

The input apparatus may become an external apparatus capable of the wireless communication with the main body of the electronic apparatus <NUM>, and the wireless communication may include the Bluetooth, the infrared communication, the RF communication, the wireless LAN, the Wi-Fi Direct, and the like.

According to an embodiment, the user input interface <NUM> may further include a voice input unit that receives voice/sound uttered from the user. The voice input unit may be implemented as a microphone capable of receiving user voice.

The storage <NUM> may be configured to store various data of the electronic apparatus <NUM>.

The storage <NUM> may store data even when power supplied to the electronic apparatus <NUM> is cut off, and may be provided as a writable nonvolatile memory (writable ROM) to reflect fluctuations. That is, the storage <NUM> may be provided as any one of a flash memory, EPROM, or EEPROM. The storage <NUM> may further include a volatile memory such as DRAM or SRAM in which the read or write speed of the electronic apparatus <NUM> is faster than that of the nonvolatile memory.

Data stored in the storage <NUM> may include, for example, various programs, applications that can be executed on the operating system, image data, additional data, and the like, in addition to an operating system for driving the electronic apparatus <NUM>.

Specifically, the storage <NUM> may store input/output signals or data corresponding to the operation of each component under the control of the processor <NUM>. The storage <NUM> may store a control program for controlling the electronic apparatus <NUM>, a UI related to an application provided by a manufacturer or downloaded from the outside, images for providing the UI, user information, documents, databases, or related data.

According to an embodiment, the image displayed on the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be due to data stored in the nonvolatile storage <NUM> such as a flash memory or a hard disk. The storage <NUM> may be provided inside or outside the electronic apparatus <NUM>, and when the storage <NUM> is provided outside the electronic apparatus <NUM>, the storage <NUM> may be connected to the electronic apparatus <NUM> through the wired interface circuitry <NUM>. That is, the connection of the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> such as the USB stick to the connection port <NUM> of the wired interface circuitry <NUM> may be an example in which the storage unit <NUM> is provided outside the electronic apparatus <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the term storage may include including a memory card (for example, a micro SD card and a memory stick) that is mountable in a storage <NUM>, a ROM and a RAM in the processor <NUM>, or the electronic apparatus <NUM>.

The power supplier <NUM> may supply power to each component of the electronic apparatus <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the power supplier <NUM> may be implemented as a power board that includes a switching mode power supply (SMPS) or a power board including a circuit configuration.

According to an embodiment, power provided from the power supplier <NUM> may be supplied as USB power to the external apparatus <NUM> such as the USB stick through the connection port <NUM> of the wired interface circuitry <NUM>. For example, a power signal may be output to the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> through a pin defined as a USB power pin (VBUS pin) among the plurality of pins provided in the connection port <NUM>, that is, pin A4 <NUM>, pin B4 <NUM>, pin B9 <NUM>, or pin A9 <NUM>.

The power supplier <NUM> may be provided with a power switching module that switches the connection of the power signal to the connection port <NUM> as described above.

The processor <NUM> may control operation of the electronic apparatus <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may include control programs (or instructions) for performing the control operation, a nonvolatile memory in which control programs are installed, a volatile memory in which at least a part of the installed control programs is loaded, and at least one general-purpose processor, such as a microprocessor, an application processor, or a central processing unit (CPU), for executing the loaded control programs.

The processor <NUM> may include a single core, a dual core, a triple core, a quad core, or a multiple-number core thereof. The processor <NUM> may include a plurality of processors, for example, a main processor and a sub processor operating in a sleep mode (for example, only standby power is supplied and does not operate as a display apparatus). In addition, the processor, the ROM, and the RAM can be interconnected via an internal bus.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may include an image processor that performs various preset processes on the content signal that is received from the outside or stored. The processor <NUM> outputs the generated or combined output signals to the display <NUM> by performing the image processing, and as a result, displays an image corresponding to an image signal on the display <NUM>.

The image processor <NUM> may include a decoder that decodes an image signal to correspond to an image format of the electronic apparatus <NUM>, and a scaler that adjusts the image signal to match an output standard of the display <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the decoder may be, for example, an H. <NUM> decoder, but is not limited thereto. That is, the video decoder according to an embodiment may be implemented as a decoder according to various compression standards such as a moving picture experts group (MPEG) decoder or a high efficiency video codec (HEVC) decoder.

In addition, the type of content processed by the image processor in the disclosure is not limited. For example, the content that can be processed by the image processor may further include not only a moving image such as a video, but also still images such as a picture such as a JPEG file, a background screen, and a graphical user interface (GUI).

The type of the image processing process performed by the image processor of the disclosure is not limited, and the image processor may perform at least one of various processes such as de-interlacing that converts an interlace type broadcast signal into a progressive type, noise reduction for improving an image quality, detail enhancement, frame refresh rate conversion, and line scanning.

According to an embodiment, the image processor may be implemented as an image board in which various circuit configurations, such as various chipsets, memories, electronic components, and wirings, for performing each of the processes are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB). In this case, in the electronic apparatus <NUM>, a processor <NUM> including a tuner and an image processor may be provided on a single image board. Obviously, this is only an example, and these components may be provided on a plurality of printed circuit boards communicatively connected to each other.

According to an embodiment of the electronic apparatus, the processor <NUM> may process a corresponding signal so that an image of a predetermined channel is displayed based on a broadcast signal. In addition, the processor <NUM> may process the corresponding signal to display an image of predetermined content based on the signal received from the server through the interface circuitry <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may be implemented as a form included in a main SoC mounted on a PCB embedded in the electronic apparatus <NUM>.

The control program may include a program(s) implemented in at least one of a BIOS, a device driver, an operating system, firmware, a platform, and an application. According to an embodiment, the application may be pre-installed or stored in the electronic apparatus <NUM> at the time of manufacturing of the electronic apparatus <NUM>, or installed in the electronic apparatus <NUM> based on data of the application received from the outside when used later. The data of the application may be downloaded to the electronic apparatus <NUM> from an external server such as an application market. Such an external server is an example of a computer program product of the disclosure, but is not limited thereto.

The control program may be recorded on a storage medium that may be read by a device such as a computer. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in a form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, the 'non-transitory storage medium' means that the storage medium is a tangible device, and does not include a signal (for example, electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between the case where data is stored semi-permanently on a storage medium and the case where data is temporarily stored thereon. For example, the 'non-transitory storage medium' may include a buffer in which data is temporarily stored.

<FIG> is a flowchart of an operation of controlling the electronic apparatus according to an embodiment.

As shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> of the electronic apparatus <NUM> may identify that the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM> provided with a plurality of pins and capable of receiving signals according to a plurality of protocols (operation <NUM>). Here, the processor <NUM> may identify that the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM>, on the basis of receiving a signal having a predefined status through a predetermined pin among the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may identify, based on the connection of the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> to the connection port <NUM>, whether a signal received through a pin predefined to correspond to a signal of the plurality of protocols received through the connection port <NUM> has characteristics defined for the pin (operation <NUM>). The processor may then identify the protocol corresponding to the characteristic for the signal received from the external apparatus <NUM>, based on the identification that the signal received through the predefined pin has the characteristics defined for the corresponding pin (operation <NUM>).

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may identify that the signal received through the predefined pin of the connection port <NUM> has characteristics defined based on the HDMI protocol, and the signal based on the HDMI protocol from the external apparatus <NUM> is received.

According to another embodiment, the processor <NUM> may identify that the signal received through the predefined pin of the connection port <NUM> has characteristics defined based on the USB protocol, and the signal based on the USB protocol from the external apparatus <NUM> is received.

The processor <NUM> may control the wired interface circuitry <NUM> to communicate with the external apparatus <NUM> based on the protocol identified in operation <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the operation of the processor <NUM> as described above may be implemented as a computer program stored in a computer program product separately provided from the electronic apparatus <NUM>.

In this case, the computer program product may include a memory in which an instruction corresponding to the computer program is stored, and a processor. When the processor executes an instruction, the processor may identify, based on the connection of the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> to the connection port <NUM>, that the signal received through the predefined pin among the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM> has the characteristics defined for the corresponding pin, and may identify the protocol corresponding to the characteristics among the plurality of protocols, based on the identification that the signal has the defined characteristics, and control to communicate with the external apparatus <NUM> based on the identified protocol.

As a result, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may download and execute the computer program stored in the separate computer program product to perform the operation of the processor <NUM>.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of switching the signal connection of the communication circuitry by identifying the corresponding protocol for the external apparatus connected to the connection port in the electronic apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wired interface circuitry of the electronic apparatus according to an embodiment.

As shown in <FIG>, the wired interface circuitry <NUM> of the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be implemented so the switching module <NUM> switches the signal connection between the connection port <NUM> and the plurality of communication circuitries, for example, the first communication circuitry <NUM> and the second communication circuitry <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the first communication circuitry <NUM> may be implemented as an HDMI communication circuitry or an HDMI receiver (HDMI Rx) capable of processing signals based on the HDMI protocol. In addition, in an embodiment, the second communication circuitry <NUM> may be implemented as a USB communication circuitry or a USB receiver (USB Rx) capable of processing signals based on the USB protocol.

However, the protocol applied to the first communication circuitry <NUM> and the second communication circuitry <NUM> are not limited, and therefore, the scope of disclosure may also include a case in which the first communication circuitry <NUM> or the second communication circuitry <NUM> are implemented as a communication circuitry capable of processing a signal based on different protocols, for example, the DP protocol.

According to an embodiment, when the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> capable of providing HDMI signal/data, such as the HDMI source device, is connected to the connection port <NUM> of the wired interface circuitry <NUM>, the connection port <NUM> may be switched to be connected to the first communication circuitry <NUM> by the switching module <NUM>.

In addition, when the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> capable of transmitting and receiving USB signal/data, such as the USB stick, is connected to the connection port <NUM> of the wired interface circuitry <NUM>, the connection port <NUM> may be switched to be connected to the second communication circuitry <NUM> by the switching module <NUM>.

The configuration of the wired interface circuitry <NUM>, the implementation type of the switching module <NUM>, the first communication circuitry <NUM>, and the second communication circuitry <NUM> are not limited.

As an example, the wired interface circuitry <NUM> may be implemented as a communication module such as a chip including software blocks corresponding to the switching module <NUM>, the first communication circuitry <NUM>, and the second communication circuitry <NUM>, respectively. As another example, the communication module implementing the wired interface circuitry <NUM> may include the switching module <NUM>, the first communication circuitry <NUM>, and the second communication circuitry <NUM> as a hardware configuration.

<FIG> is a flowchart of a method of controlling an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment.

As shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> of the electronic apparatus <NUM> may identify that the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM> provided with a plurality of pins (operation <NUM>).

According to an embodiment, the connection port <NUM> may receive a signal in each of a plurality of protocols. For example, the external apparatus <NUM> connected to the connection port <NUM> may transmit or receive a signal corresponding to the HDMI protocol or the USB protocol.

Specifically, the processor <NUM> may identify, based on the reception of a status change in at least one pin defined as a ground (common GND) pin among the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM> such as pin A12 and pin B12 shown in <FIG> (for example, a change from a high signal to a low signal), that the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> may identify, based on the connection of the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> to the connection port <NUM> in operation <NUM>, that the signal received through the predefined pin among the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM> has the characteristics defined for the pin (operation <NUM>).

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may identify, based on the reception of the signal having a voltage of predefined characteristics (for example, a power signal (HDMI <NUM> V power) of <NUM> V ) through pin A5 <NUM> or pin B5 pin <NUM> defined as a power pin (hereinafter, referred to as a HDMI power pin) for HDMI usage in the alternate mode for USB Type C as at least one pin defined as, for example, a power pin as shown in <FIG>, that the received signal has the characteristics of the power signal based on the HDMI protocol defined corresponding to the HDMI power pin.

The processor <NUM> may identify whether the external apparatus <NUM> that outputs the signal corresponding to the identification result of the signal in operation <NUM> corresponds to the first protocol (operation <NUM>).

If it is identified that the signal received through the predefined pin in operation <NUM> is identified as having the characteristics of the power signal based on the HDMI protocol defined for the pin (HDMI power pin), the processor <NUM> identifies that the external apparatus <NUM> connected to the connection port <NUM> in step <NUM> corresponds to the first protocol, that is, the HDMI protocol.

When the processor <NUM> identifies in step <NUM> that the external apparatus <NUM> corresponds to the first protocol, that is, the HDMI protocol, the processor <NUM> may control the switching module <NUM> to connect the connection port <NUM> to the first communication circuitry <NUM> capable of processing the HDMI signal as the signal of the first protocol (operation <NUM>).

The processor <NUM> may control the wired interface circuitry <NUM> to communicate with the external apparatus <NUM> based on the first protocol identified in step <NUM>, that is, the HDMI protocol (operation <NUM>).

On the other hand, when the processor <NUM> identifies in step <NUM> that the external apparatus <NUM> does not correspond to the first protocol, that is, the HDMI protocol, the processor <NUM> may control the switching module <NUM> to connect the connection port <NUM> to the second communication circuitry <NUM> capable of processing the USB signal as the signal of the second protocol other than the first protocol (operation <NUM>).

The processor <NUM> controls the wired interface circuitry <NUM> to communicate with the external apparatus <NUM> based on the second protocol, that is, the USB protocol (operation <NUM>).

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may control to transmit a power signal having predetermined characteristics, for example, a power signal of <NUM> V to an external apparatus <NUM> connected through, as a third pin among the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM>, for example, at least one pin defined to provide a voltage having the predefined characteristics to the external apparatus <NUM>, that is, pin A4 <NUM>, pin B4 <NUM>, pin A9 <NUM>, or pin B9 <NUM> defined as a power pin (VBUS pin) (hereinafter, referred to as a USB power pin) for USB usage in the alternate mode for USB Type C. Further, the processor <NUM> checks the status in the USB signal, for example, a USB lock status that is transmitted or received through at least one pin defined to transmit or receive the USB signal among the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM>, for example, pin A6, pin B6, pin A7, or pin B7.

The processor <NUM> may identify whether the connected external apparatus <NUM> corresponds to the USB protocol as the first protocol based on the state of the USB signal in operation <NUM> (operation <NUM>).

As described above, the electronic apparatus <NUM> according to the embodiment of <FIG> and <FIG> may identify based on the signal through the specific pin of the connection port <NUM> whether the external apparatus <NUM> connected through the connection port <NUM> implemented as the common port to which the plurality of external apparatuses corresponding to the plurality of different protocols are connectable corresponds to the first protocol or the second protocol, and switch the connection port <NUM> to be connected to any one of the communication circuitries provided to correspond to each protocol by the switching module <NUM> (for example, any one of the first communication circuitry <NUM> and the second communication circuitry <NUM>) in response to the identification result, thereby normally performing the communication.

<FIG> is a diagram showing electronic apparatus in which a plurality of connection ports having the same shape for each of the plurality of protocols are provided as a related art.

As shown in <FIG>, a wired interface circuitry <NUM> of the electronic apparatus according to the related art includes a plurality of input ports 810a and 810b having the same shape and a plurality of communication circuitries 830a and 830b respectively connected to each input port 810a and 810b.

When the electronic apparatus according to the related art includes, for example, a wired interface circuitry <NUM> that implements the HDMI alternate mode for USB type C, the wired interface circuitry <NUM> includes a first input port 810a provided for the connection usage of the external apparatus corresponding to the HDMI protocol and a second input port 810b provided for the connection usage of the external apparatus corresponding to the USB protocol. Here, the user checks a guide indicating the HDMI or USB usage specified outside the device, and connects and uses an external apparatus to an input port suitable for each usage.

Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, in the electronic apparatus of the related art, the first input port 810a is connected only to the first communication circuitry 830a implemented as an HDMI receiver (HDMI Rx) capable of processing the HDMI signal. That is, when a user who is inexperienced in using the device does not check the guide in advance and connects the USB stick to the first input port 810a, the first communication circuitry 830a may not process the USB signal, and therefore, the normal data communication is not performed, resulting in the user inconvenience.

Likewise, as shown in <FIG>, in the electronic apparatus of the related art, the second input port 810b is connected only to the second communication circuitry 830b implemented as a USB receiver (USB Rx) capable of processing the USB signal. That is, when the user who is inexperienced in using the device does not check the guide in advance and connects the HDMI source to the second input port 810b, the first communication circuitry 830a cannot process the HDMI signal, and thus the electronic apparatus may not normally receive a signal from the external apparatus, so no image is displayed on the display, resulting in the user inconvenience.

In addition, as another related art, there may be a case of connecting a separate adapter for signal conversion or switching to a connection port provided as a common port on the electronic apparatus. In this case, costs may be wasted or user inconvenience may result from a separate purchase of the adapter, a risk of loss, and the like.

Accordingly, the electronic apparatus <NUM> according to the embodiment of <FIG> and <FIG> may be used by connecting the plurality of external apparatuses <NUM> provided to transmit and receive signals of different protocols to a single connection port <NUM> without user confusion, compared to the related technologies. In addition, only the minimum number of connection ports <NUM> is provided in the electronic apparatus <NUM> and a separate adapter needs not to be provided, so the miniaturization and aesthetic improvement of the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be achieved and the user convenience may be improved.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a control operation for performing communication, when the HDMI source or the UBS stick is connected as an external apparatus, will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> is a block diagram showing a control operation when the external apparatus is connected to the electronic apparatus according to an embodiment. <FIG> is a flowchart of of an operation of identifying that the HDMI source is connected as the external apparatus in the electronic apparatus according to an embodiment. <FIG> is a flowchart of an operation of identifying that the USB stick is connected as the external apparatus in the electronic apparatus according to an embodiment.

According to an embodiment, the electronic apparatus <NUM> is provided with the wired interface circuitry <NUM> including the connection port <NUM> capable of receiving signals according to the plurality of protocols including an USB signal and an HDMI signal. The electronic apparatus <NUM> may be connected to a HDMI source <NUM> or a USB stick <NUM> as the external apparatus <NUM> through the connection port <NUM> provided with the plurality of pins as shown in <FIG>.

As described in operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the processor <NUM> of the electronic apparatus <NUM> may identify that the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM> based on the status change in the signal received through the common GND pin among the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM>.

As described in operations <NUM> and <NUM> of <FIG>, the processor <NUM> identifies whether the signal received through the predefined pin among the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM> has characteristics corresponding to any one of the plurality of protocols to identify whether the connected external apparatus <NUM> is the HDMI source <NUM> corresponding to the HDMI or the USB stick <NUM> corresponding to the USB protocol.

The wired interface circuitry <NUM> of the electronic apparatus <NUM> may respond to whether the external apparatus <NUM> connected through the connection port <NUM> is the HDMI source <NUM> or the USB stick <NUM> to perform the signal switching (<NUM>) so that the connection port <NUM> is connected to the HDMI receiver as the first communication circuitry <NUM> or is connected to the USB receiver as the second communication circuitry <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the signal switching <NUM> may be controlled by the processor <NUM> through a general-purpose input/output (GPIO) control <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>.

For example, when the HDMI source <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, the HDMI signal may be received by the first communication circuitry <NUM> by the signal switching <NUM> (<NUM>).

Here, the HDMI signal received by the first communication circuitry <NUM> includes a power signal. The power signal may include power of <NUM> V that is received through a first pin among a plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM>,. That is, at least one pin defined as a power pin such as pin A5 <NUM> or pin B5 <NUM> defined as a power pin (HDMI power pin) for HDMI usage in the alternate mode for USB Type C as shown in <FIG>.

In addition, the HDMI signal received by the first communication circuitry <NUM> may include a clock signal. The clock signal may be received through a second pin among the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM>. That is, at least one pin may be defined as a clock pin such as pin B10 <NUM> or pin B11 <NUM> defined as a transition minimized differential signaling type data pin in the alternate mode for USB Type C as shown in <FIG>.

According to an embodiment, the first communication circuitry <NUM> may include a clock detector that may check (TMDS clock detection check) whether a clock having predefined characteristics (for example, a TMDS clock) is identified/detected in a signal received through a second pin (clock pin) among a plurality of pins (<NUM>). The processor <NUM> may identify a protocol corresponding to the clock signal based on the detection, that is, reception of the clock signal having the predefined characteristics.

The processor <NUM> may identify whether the signal received from the connected HDMI source <NUM> has characteristics corresponding to any one of the plurality of versions of the HDMI protocol, depending on whether the clock or data having the predefined characteristics is identified in the signal received through the second pin among the plurality of pins.

For example, when the TMDS clock is detected, the processor <NUM> may identify that the signal based on HDMI <NUM> protocol or HDMI <NUM> protocol is received from the connected HDMI source <NUM>.

On the other hand, when a signal based on HDMI <NUM> protocol is received from the connected HDMI source <NUM>, the identification based on the TMDS clock check may not be performed.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may identify whether the signal based on the HDMI <NUM> protocol is received by checking information/data based on a fixed rate link (FRL) using a status and control data channel (SCDC) register of the HDMI source <NUM> connected through the connection port <NUM>. That is, when the SCDC information/data is identified (detected) the processor <NUM> may identify that the signal based on the HDMI <NUM> protocol is received from the connected HDMI source <NUM>.

According to the embodiment of the disclosure, the processor <NUM> may determine, based on the identification processes based on the power signal, the clock signal, and the SCDC information received through each pin of the connection port <NUM>, that the connected external apparatus <NUM> is the HDMI source <NUM> corresponding to the HDMI protocol.

Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may first identify that the power signal is received from the HDMI source <NUM>, based on the signal received through the first pin (for example the pin A5 <NUM> or the pin B5 <NUM>) which is the power pin for HDMI usage (HDMI power pin) (operation <NUM>).

Then, the processor <NUM> may identify, based on the TDMS clock detection through the second pin (for example pin B10 <NUM> or pin B11 <NUM>) defined as the TMDS type data pin, that the HDMI source <NUM> is HDMI <NUM>, <NUM> sources (operation <NUM>).

In addition, the processor <NUM> may identify that the HDMI source <NUM> is a HDMI <NUM> source based on the SCDC information acquired based on the FRL from the HDMI source <NUM> connected through the connection port <NUM> (operation <NUM>).

The identification processes of the HDMI source <NUM> in steps <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be sequentially performed according to the illustrated order, or at least some of the identification processes may be performed simultaneously or in reverse order in some cases.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may identify based on the above identification processes that not only the connected external apparatus <NUM> simply transmits the signal of the HDMI protocol, but also the HDMI protocol version, thereby more smoothly performing the communication between the electronic apparatus <NUM> and the external apparatus <NUM>.

As another example, when the USB stick <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, the USB signal may be received by the second communication circuitry <NUM> by the signal switching <NUM> (<NUM>).

In this case, the power signal may be transmitted from the electronic apparatus <NUM> to the connected external apparatus <NUM>, that is, the USB stick <NUM>.

The wired interface circuitry <NUM> of the electronic apparatus <NUM> may perform power switching <NUM> so that the power signal is transmitted to the USB stick <NUM> connected through the connection port <NUM>, and may supply power from the power supplier <NUM> to the USB stick <NUM> (<NUM>). According to an embodiment, the power switching <NUM> may be controlled by the processor <NUM> through the GPIO control <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>.

The power signal may be transmitted through a third pin among a plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM>, that is, at least one pin defined as the USB power pin such as pin A4 <NUM>, pin B4 <NUM>, pin B9 <NUM>, or pin A9 <NUM> defined as a USB power pin (VBUS pin) for USB usage in the alternate mode for USB Type C as shown in <FIG>.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may supply the USB power through the connection port <NUM> as described above, and check a status signal received from the external apparatus <NUM> in response thereto, thereby determining that the connected external apparatus <NUM> is the USB stick <NUM>.

Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, in response to identifying that the connector <NUM> of the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may first supply USB power from the power supplier <NUM> to the connected external apparatus <NUM> through the connection port <NUM> by the power switching (operation <NUM>). Here, the USB power may be transmitted as the power signal through the third pin among the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM> (for example the pin A4 <NUM>, the pin B4 <NUM>, the pin B9 <NUM>, or the pin A9 <NUM>) that is the USB power pin (VBUS pin).

Further, the processor <NUM> may determine that the connected external apparatus <NUM> is the USB stick <NUM> based on the USB signal status received from the external apparatus <NUM> (operation <NUM>). Here, the processor <NUM> may check the status in the USB signal that is transmitted or received through at least one pin defined to transmit or receive the USB signal among the plurality of pins of the connection port <NUM> (for example, the pin A6, pin B6, pin A7, or pin B7 shown in <FIG>) thereby determining that the connected external apparatus <NUM> is the USB stick <NUM>.

As described in <FIG>, when the connection of the external apparatus <NUM> is identified, the processor <NUM> may first supply the USB power, and check whether the USB signal is received from the external apparatus <NUM> in response thereto, thereby determining that corresponding external apparatus <NUM> is the USB stick <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, even when the USB stick <NUM> that needs to supply power from the slave device as the external apparatus <NUM> to the source device is connected to the connection port <NUM> through the above processes, the processor <NUM> may identify that the connected apparatus is the USB stick <NUM>, thereby smoothly performing the communication between the electronic apparatus <NUM> and the external apparatus <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, when the processor <NUM> identifies that the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM>, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be implemented to first perform operations <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> of <FIG> to determine whether the connected external apparatus <NUM> is the HDMI source and then perform operations <NUM> and <NUM> of <FIG> to determine whether the connected external apparatus <NUM> is the USB stick.

According to another embodiment, when the processor <NUM> identifies that the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM>, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be implemented to first perform operations <NUM> and <NUM> of <FIG> to determine whether the connected external apparatus <NUM> is the USB stick and then perform operations <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> of <FIG> to determine whether the connected external apparatus <NUM> is the HDMI source. Here, even when the connected external apparatus <NUM> is the HDMI source, even if the USB power signal is transmitted to the external apparatus <NUM> according to step <NUM> of <FIG>, the operation of the HDMI source is not affected.

According to an embodiment, the methods according to various embodiments disclosed in the document may be included in a computer program product and provided. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a purchaser. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (for example, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed (for example, download or upload) through an application store (for example, Play StoreTM) or may be directly distributed (for example, download or upload) between two user devices (for example, smartphones) online. In case of the online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product (for example, downloadable app) may be at least temporarily stored in a storage medium such as a memory of a server of a manufacturer, a server of an application store, or a relay server or be temporarily generated.

According to the embodiments as described above, when the external apparatus <NUM> is connected to the connection port <NUM> provided to transmit or receive signals based on a plurality of different protocols, the electronic apparatus <NUM> may automatically identify the protocol of the signal received through the connection port <NUM>, thereby performing the communication with the connected external apparatus <NUM> based on the identified protocol.

Accordingly, the number of connection ports <NUM> provided in the electronic apparatus <NUM> may be minimized, and any of the plurality of external apparatuses corresponding to different protocols may be used by being connected to the connection port <NUM> as necessary without the user confusion or malfunction.

Claim 1:
An electronic apparatus, comprising:
a USB Type-C connection port (<NUM>) comprising a plurality of pins; and
a processor (<NUM>) configured to:
based on a connection between a USB Type-C connector (<NUM>) of an external apparatus (<NUM>) and the connection port (<NUM>), identify whether a first signal received through an HDMI power pin of the USB Type-C connector among the plurality of pins has a first characteristic predefined for the HDMI power pin,
based on the first signal having the first characteristic, identify an HDMI protocol corresponding to the first characteristic among a plurality of protocols, and
control to communicate with the external apparatus (<NUM>) based on the identified HDMI protocol,
based on the first signal not having the first characteristic:
transmit a second signal to the external apparatus (<NUM>) through a USB power pin, the second signal having a second characteristic predefined for the USB power pin, and
based on receiving a third signal from the external apparatus (<NUM>) through a USB signal pin, the third signal having a third characteristic, identify a USB protocol corresponding to the third characteristic among the plurality of protocols, and control to communicate with the external apparatus (<NUM>) based on the identified USB protocol.