The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 14, 2000
Filed:
Oct. 08, 1993
David H Bessel, Poway, CA (US);
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Sony Electronics, Inc., Park Ridge, NJ (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for communicating control data (such as configuration, adjustment, or alignment data) to an internal digital processor of a display device from an external processor, and for communicating status data from the internal digital processor to the external processor. In accordance with the invention, a display signal (e.g., an analog video signal or a synchronization signal associated therewith) is encoded with digital control data. An internal digital processor in the display device receives the encoded display signal and extracts the control data therefrom. In preferred embodiments, the display device is a video monitor, and one or more of the video and video sync signals supplied to the monitor are encoded with control data, which can include a video test signal from a video signal generator, or configuration, alignment, or adjustment data. In preferred embodiments, the display device includes a pilot lamp and the internal digital processor in the display device encodes electromagnetic radiation emitted from the pilot lamp with status data. The encoded radiation is received by an external detector, which can be removably mounted in a position facing the lamp, and the resulting electrical output of the detector is processed in an external processor to extract the status data. The invention enables communication of control and status data between a display device's internal processor and an external processor without the need for communication hardware in addition to the display device hardware that is conventionally provided.