Circuit and method for protecting a horizontal synchronous signal

Abstract

A circuit for protecting a horizontal synchronous signal comprises a horizontal synchronous signal detecting circuit responsive to horizontal synchronous pulses included in a composite synchronous signal of a reproduced PCM signal, first and second horizontal synchronous pulse supplementing or adding circuits and an output switching circuit. The output switching circuit operates so that the first supplementing circuit delivers a first supplementary pulse in the absence of a single pulse of the original horizontal synchronous signal, and the second supplementing circuit produces one or more second supplementary pulses in the absence of a plurality of continuous pulses of the original horizontal synchronous signal. When the circuit returns to a condition in which produced horizontal synchronous pulses are synchronous with the original horizontal synchronous pulses, the time interval between adjacent pulses of the original pulses is detected to see whether the interval is either longer or shorter than a predetermined value. As a result, when a pulse first appeared after the returning point is within the predetermined interval, that pulse is removed so that the number of output horizontal synchronous pulses is correct.