Patents Examined by Michael H. Lee
  • Patent number: 7268824
    Abstract: A jitter canceling apparatus is provided for canceling jitter in a video signal. For processing a video signal, using as a reference an internal synchronization signal and an external synchronization signal different from the internal synchronization signal in the jitter canceling apparatus, an external synchronization signal generator generates the external synchronization signal from an external reference signal. A jitter detector detects time difference jitter, which is jitter in a time difference between the internal and external synchronization signals. The external synchronization signal generator controls the external synchronization signal generating operation in response to the detected time difference jitter to reduce the time difference jitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Leader Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Noriyuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7265793
    Abstract: A method and system is provided, which may detect digital QAM, VSB and analog TV signals in a faster and more efficient manner than conventional systems. The system and method may be deployed in, for example, cable TV set-top boxes, cable TV modems and television set receivers, which may be coupled to a cable TV or off-the-air terrestrial network. Power measurements of the RF carriers found in a cable TV channel may be utilized to determine whether a digital QAM signal, digital VSB signal, or an analog signal is present in a TV channel. In this regard, it is not necessary for a receiver to demodulate, lock, synchronize, decode and/or validate any video or audio information or digital bit stream in order to detect digital QAM, digital VSB and analog TV signals, or not signal at all. Accordingly, the process of detecting digital QAM, digital VSB and analog TV signals is shortened and simplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Jorge J. Wong, Donald G. McMullin, Frederick G. Walls, Thomas L. Spieker
  • Patent number: 7262817
    Abstract: In order to minimize light diffraction along the direction of switching and more particularly light diffraction into the acceptance cone of the collection optics, in the present invention, micromirrors are provided which are not rectangular. Also, in order to minimize the cost of the illumination optics and the size of the display unit of the present invention, the light source is placed orthogonal to the rows (or columns) of the array, and/or the light source is placed orthogonal to a side of the frame defining the active area of the array. The incident light beam, though orthogonal to the sides of the active area, is not however, orthogonal to any substantial portion of sides of the individual micromirrors in the array. Orthogonal sides cause incident light to diffract along the direction of micromirror switching, and result in light ‘leakage’ into the ‘on’ state even if the micromirror is in the ‘off’ state. This light diffraction decreases the contrast ratio of the micromirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Andrew G. Huibers
  • Patent number: 7259794
    Abstract: A de-interlacing device and method therefor for de-interlacing an image. The image includes at least one field, which includes a plurality of pixels arranged in an M*N matrix. The de-interlacing device is for determining the brightness value of a current pixel and includes the following elements. A motion detector is for determining whether or not the current pixel is motional. An edge detector detects an edge type of the current pixel if the current pixel is motional. An edge-based de-interlacer includes a reference pixel determiner for determining a plurality of edge reference pixels having the strongest correlation with the current pixel according to the edge type, and a brightness value determiner for deriving the brightness value of the current pixel according to the edge reference pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Himax Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Fung-Jane Chang, Ling-Shiou Huang, Shen-Chuan Tai
  • Patent number: 7259799
    Abstract: Disclosed is an AGC detector device and an AGC detecting method for television receivers displaying video pictures consisting of a plurality of horizontal lines to be built up successively, wherein a CVBS signal is inputted which includes horizontal sync pulses having a front porch region and a back porch region and occurring once a horizontal line during a horizontal sync period when generating a current video picture, and further includes vertical sync pulses occurring during a vertical sync period before the generation of a new video picture and including serration pulses which occur during a serration pulse region being part of the vertical sync period. Further, gating pulses are generated having a period which is equal to the line period of the horizontal sync pulses. Said gating pulses are adjusted such that they occur at the back porch region of the horizontal sync pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Hans-Jürgen Kühn, Manfred Zupke
  • Patent number: 7256835
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for deinterlacing video images is described. In one exemplary implementation, the apparatus receives a video stream in an interlaced format. The apparatus includes a processing system configured to determine whether or not the video stream originated from a progressive format. Based on that determination, the processing system selects one of two modes of operation to deinterlace the video stream: an interpolation mode of operation or a non-interpolation mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Hong Jiang, Kim M. Matthews, Lesley Jen-Yuan Wu
  • Patent number: 7256837
    Abstract: In a baseband video transmission system for transmission of a video signal at a baseband based on the DVI standard, a transmitting device multiplexes a data signal representing data other than video during at least one blanking period of component video signals of the video signal to generate a DVI signal. A receiving device receives the DVI signal, and extracts the data signal from the received DVI signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Nio, Taro Funamoto
  • Patent number: 7250985
    Abstract: A color demodulation circuit that can complement an unstable state of an output from an ACC circuit and can obtain stable color-difference outputs, regardless of a burst signal in a chrominance carrier signal. Normally, a selector connects an output from a first multiplier that controls an amplitude of an output from a band-pass filter using an output from the ACC circuit, to a color-difference output demodulation circuit. However, during a period in which there are abrupt changes in the burst signal, for example during a period in which the output from the ACC circuit becomes unstable such as at switching between a state including a burst and a state not including a burst, the selector connects an output from a second multiplier that controls the amplitude of the output from the band-pass filter using an ACC output monitor signal, to the color-difference demodulation circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuya Miyashita, Toshihiro Matsumura
  • Patent number: 7250987
    Abstract: Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a method and system for a vestigial side band (VSB), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), NTSC, out-of-band (OOB) receiver that is integrated in a single chip. The single chip integrated digital television (DTV) receiver provides plug and play DTV receiver capability for handling both North American digital cable television and digital terrestrial broadcast television compatible systems. The integrated DTV receiver may receive all standard-definition and high-definition digital formats (SDTV/HDTV) and an on-chip NTSC demodulator handles NTSC video. An output of the NTSC demodulator may be directed to an external broadcast television system committee (BTSC) or Zweiton M decoder, or it may be sent to an on-chip audio BTSC compliant decoder. The single chip integrated DTV receiver may also comprise an integrated out-of-band QPSK receiver, which may be adapted to, for example, handle a CableCard compliant with the CableCard Specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Maneesh Goyal, Charles A. Brooks, Randall B. Perlow
  • Patent number: 7248302
    Abstract: In a picture signal processing method, an analog picture signal (APS1, APS2) is processed (PSP) in dependence on a quality indication (QI1, Q12) relating to the analog picture signal (APS1, APS2) and received together with the analog picture signal (APS1, APS2). Preferably, the analog picture signal (APS1, APS2) has been obtained from a digital picture signal that has been encoded at a bit-rate and/or at a compression ratio and/or at a quantization level, wherein the quality indication (QI1, QI2) is the bit-rate and/or the compression ratio and/or the quantization level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Robert A. Barnes, Dirk Piepers
  • Patent number: 7236209
    Abstract: To permit the use of a single remote control device in an AV system that can supply incompatible video signals, a switch box (18) receives composite and S-video signals from an AV receiver, transforming these signals into the component video domain, and also receives component video signals from, e.g., a DVD player (14), with the output of the switch box being displayed on a television (16), and also receives a signal from a DVI source (101). The synchronization portion of the component video signal from the DVD player is sent to one of the input ports (14) of the AV receiver as a trigger signal for comparison thereof with the synchronization signal in the switch box (18). When a user selects the AV receiver input port into which the trigger signal is input, the sense signal at the switch box (18) is identical to the synchronization signal of the component video, and the switch box (18) consequently sends the component video to the television (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Monster Cable Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Demian T. Martin
  • Patent number: 7236210
    Abstract: A digital video mixer apparatus is designed for inputting a video signal representative of a picture from a plurality of input channels, then processing the video signal to apply a visual effect to the picture, and outputting the processed video signal to an output channel. In the apparatus, a parameter value setting section includes a plurality of operators manually operable to set a plurality of parameter values used for applying a desired visual effect to the picture. A sequence control section sequentially feeds the parameter values in accordance with time progress of processing the video signal in order to vary with time the visual effect applied to the picture. A video signal processing section processes the video signal inputted from at least one of the input channels according to either of the parameter values set by the operators or the parameter values fed from the sequence control section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Iwase
  • Patent number: 7230657
    Abstract: Tools for directing a collection of light emitting devices toward pixel locations to make an image are disclosed. A pixel location is a light emitting device target at least twice during a given frame, and each light emitting device in the collection is directed toward at least two different pixel locations during the frame. Adjacent light emitting devices may be directed toward adjacent pixel locations or toward nonadjacent pixel locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Winthrop D. Childers, William J. Allen, Thomas B. Pritchard
  • Patent number: 7227595
    Abstract: A liquid crystal television receiver includes a DC power supply to generate and output tuning DC power, a receiving portion, a display portion, and a series regulator. Preferably, the receiving portion is fed the tuning DC power and receives a video signal, the display portion includes an active-matrix liquid crystal panel, a gate driver to generate a gate-on signal and drive a gate line and a data driver to drive a data line, allowable ranges of voltage of the tuning DC power and the gate-on DC power share a common range in which a voltage of the tuning DC power is set, the tuning DC power is fed to the gate driver, and the series regulator is provided on at least one of power supply paths to feed the tuning DC power from the DC power supply to the gate driver and to the receiving portion, and removes noise component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Funai electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tatsuya Kita
  • Patent number: 7227585
    Abstract: Provided are decoding methods and decoders for separating luminance and chrominance components of a video signal. In one aspect, a reference subcarrier of a first line of the video signal is used for subsequent lines by applying an appropriate rotation to the reference subcarrier of the first line for each subsequent line. In another aspect, comb filtering is adaptively controlled based on determining whether 90 or 180 degrees relationship is maintained from line to line. In a further aspect, both complimentary and non-complimentary comb filtering are implemented. In yet another aspect, SECAM bell filtering is achieved by rotating the video signal to obtain a baseband signal, low-pass filtering and modulating the baseband signal, and subtracting the modulated low-pass filtered baseband signal from the video signal to notch the chroma component from the luma component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Conexant Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter M. Murdock, John E. Welch
  • Patent number: 7227596
    Abstract: The luminous elements of the three colours red, green and blue of a plasma video display have different time responses. Therefore, a coloured trail/edge appears behind and in front of the edges of a moving object. In order to reduce the disturbing character of such coloured trails/edges, correcting the video data for blue and red phosphor elements to compensate for the different time responses discolor them. Then only a discolored trail/edge appears which is less disturbing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Sébastien Weitbruch, Cedric Thebault, Axel Goetzke
  • Patent number: 7224399
    Abstract: A de-interlacing method and apparatus, and a video decoder and a reproducing apparatus using the same are disclosed. The de-interlacing method, for transforming an interlaced format into a progressive format, includes: (a) obtaining a first difference value between at least one pixel of a previous field and at least one pixel of a next field, which are adjacent to a pixel to be interpolated of a current field; (b) obtaining a second difference value between at least one pixel of the current field and at least one pixel of the previous field or the next field, which are adjacent to the pixel to be interpolated; and (d) obtaining a value of the pixel to be interpolated by weighting a spatial interpolation value and a temporal interpolation value of the pixel to be interpolated according to an interpolation mode selected on the basis of the first and second difference values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Byung-cheol Song
  • Patent number: 7225455
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for using an electronic program guide application to access a non-program guide application. The electronic program guide application provides a program guide display from which a user can access the non-program guide application. The electronic program guide application receives a user selection to access the non-program guide application from the program guide display. In response to the user selection, the electronic program guide application accesses the non-program guide application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: United Video Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald E Bennington, George Backer, Shawn Green, Bill Cooper, David Spell, Rosetta Rogers, Bruce Davis, Michael Morris
  • Patent number: 7224401
    Abstract: A system for dynamically placing textual elements adjacent a video content, based on aspect ratios, includes means for detecting the aspect ratio of the media player content and the aspect ratio of the display device and determining if there are unused positions of the video content when displayed on the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Ackley, Christopher T. Carey, Bennet S. Carr, Kathleen S. Poole
  • Patent number: 7221407
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for use with televisions having an internal Java engine are included among the embodiments. In exemplary systems, a PCMCIA port allows the Java engine to load and execute Java applets selected by the viewer. Provision is made for system-aware applets to run concurrently with platform-independent applets on different Java display planes that are merged for display. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Jon Arthur Fairhurst, Henry Y. Fang, Bryan Severt Hallberg, Mark Gregory Hanley, Vishnu Kumar Shivaj Rao, Jeffrey B. Sampsell