EP0130036A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Interconnection apparatus
Assignee: RCA Licensing Corp
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Filing: 1984-06-19
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2004-06-19
Abstract
Abstract @ The apparatus is for interconnecting separate components (10-16) of a home entertainment system. It includes separate single signal busses (28; 30; 32) for transferring video and left and right stereo audio signals produced by one of the components to at least one other component. Switches (114; 120; 122) located in series with the video and audio busses break the continuity of the busses, when the switches are nonconductive, into sections. Thus signals can be transferred between components on one section, independently of the transfer of signals between components on another section. A shunt switch arrangement (117) coupled to the video bus (28) at its junction with the video series switch (114), applies an impedance (118) substantially equal to the characteristic impedance of the video bus, between the video bus and a reference potential (GND), when the series switch breaks the continuity of the video bus, in order to reduce ghost-producing reflections.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael Scott Deiss
- 👤 Billy Wesley Beyers, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 02:52
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04B; H04B1/00; H04B1/06; H04B1/16; H04B1/20; H04B1/207
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
Interconnection apparatus for separate components (10-16) of a home entertainment system, characterized by a single signal conductor (26, 28; 30 or 32) for transferring an information signal produced by one of said components to at least one other of said components, connection means (36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50) adapted for coupling with respective ones of said components for connecting signal inputs and/or outputs of said components to said single conductor at distributed locations along said single conductor; and switch means (114;120;122;124;126;128;144;146 connected in series with said single conductor for selectively separating said conductor into first and second segments so as to allow simultaneous and independent information signal transfer among components connected to the same one of said first and second segments.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
124 words
Interconnection apparatus for separate components (10-16) of a home entertainment system, characterized by a single signal conductor (26, 28; 30 or 32) for transferring an information signal produced by one of said components to at least one other of said components, connection means (36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50) adapted for coupling with respective ones of said components for connecting signal inputs and/or outputs of said components to said single conductor at distributed locations along said single conductor; and switch means (114;120;122;124;126;128;144;146 connected in series with said single conductor for selectively separating said conductor into first and second segments so as to allow simultaneous and independent information signal transfer among components connected to the same one of said first and second segments.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 1, characterized in that at least one of said connection means (38) includes means (85) for uni-directionally connecting one of said associated component signal inputs to said single conductor.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said switch means is located at one of said distributed locations.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 1,2 or 3, characterized in that at least one of said connection means (36, to 50) includes means (e.g. 78, 80) for selectively connecting one of said associated component signal outputs to said single conductor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
Apparatus as recited inClaim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that said home entertainment system includes video components (10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24) and said single conductor transfers video signal to video signal inputs and/or outputs of said video components.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
136 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 5, characterized by said single signal conductor (28) having a characteristic impedance for transferring a video signal produced by one of said components (10;12;14; to at least one other (16) of said components; said switch means including series switch means (114;120;122;124;126;128;130) having first and second ends connected in series with said video conductor for selectively separating said conductor into first and second segments when non-conductive; and shunt switch means (117) coupled in shunt between said video conductor at its junction at least with one end of said first switch means and a reference potential (GND), for applying, when conductive, an impedance (118) to said video conductor at said junction so as to reduce video signal reflection from said junction, said shunt switch means being conductive when said switch means is non-conductive.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
152 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 6 for separate video components of a home entertainment system characterized by said connection means associated with each of said video components for controlling the supply and/or receipt of video signal to or from said associated video component and by said single conductor comprising a video signal transmission path (28) having first and second ends and a given characteristic impedance for coupling said connection means in series and transferring said video signals therebetween; apparatus for terminating one end of said transmission path in said given characteristic impedance, said apparatus comprising: the connection means (36;40;42) for an associated video component (10;14;16) which is coupled at said one end, .said end connection means including a video signal driver (80;106) having an output impedance substantially equal to said given characteristic impedance and coupled to said transmission path for supplying video signal from said end video component to said transmission path.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
50 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 6, or 7, characterized in that said shunt switch means comprises: a series connection of a resistor ( 118) having an impedance substantially equal to said characteristic impedance and a selectively conductive video signal switch (117) coupled between said video conductor and said reference potential.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 8, characterized in that said shunt switch means is coupled to said video conductor at its junction with both ends of said switch means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 6,7,8 or 9, characterized in that a portion of said video conductor (28), a respective one of said connection means, said first switch means and said shunt switch means are located in a single housing.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
61 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 10, characterized in that said housing is adapted to transmit and/or receive video signal from other video components of said entertainment system via said first and second segments of said video conductor; and said shunt switch means is coupled to the ends of said first and second segments of said video conductor located within said housing.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
105 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 7, characterized in that said end connection means includes a switch arrangement (110) having a first position for coupling video signal from said end video component to the input of said video signal driver for supplying video signal from said end video component to said transmission path, and a second position for coupling a first reference potential (GND) to said input of said video driver so as to maintain said given characteristic impedance as said output impedance for terminating said transmission path in said given characteristic impedance when said video driver is not supplying video signal to said transmission path.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 12, characterized by said switch is caused to be in said second position when video signal is being received by said end video component from said transmission path.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 1, characterized in that said home entertainment system includes audio (20;22;24) and video (10;12;14;16 ) components and said single conductor transfers audio signal to between audio inputs and outputs of the audio and video components.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
59 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 14, characterized in that audio signal inputs and/or outputs of all of said audio components are connected to said audio conductor (30) along a first portion of said conductor and audio signal inputs and/or outputs of all of said video components are connected to said audio conductor along a second portion of said conductor.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
57 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 15, characterized in that said switch means includes a first audio switch (120; 124 ;12 8 ) connected in series with said audio signal conductor and located at one of said distributed locations such that said first and second portions of said audio signal conductor correspond to said first and second segments.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
57 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 16, characterized in that said audio signal comprises left and right stereophonic audio signals, said first mentioned audio signal conductor for transferring said left audio signal to said components; and further including a second single signal conductor (32) for transferring said right stereophonic audio signal to said components of said entertainment system.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 17, characterized in that said audio switch means includes a second audio switch ( 122;126:130) in series with said second audio conductor; and said first and second switches selectively separate said first mentioned and second audio conductors, concurrently.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 18, characterized in that said first and second audio switches are all located at the same one of said distributed locations and operate concurrently for selectively separating said audio signal conductors.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 16,17,18 or 19, characterized in that signal inputs and/or outputs of an audio signal amplifier component are connected to said audio signal conductor at said one distributed location.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
47 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 16,17,18,19 or 20, characterized in that audio signal inputs and/or outputs of a television monitor (16), including internal audio signal amplifier and loudspeaker portions, are connected to said audio signal conductor (30;32) at a distributed location adjacent to said one distributed location.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
121 words
22 . Apparatus as recited in any one of Claims 14-21, characterized by a second single signal conductor (28 for transferring a video signal produced by one of said video components to at least one other of said video components; said connection means associated with said video components connecting video signal inputs and/or outputs of said video components to said video signal conductor at distributed locations along said video signal conductor; and a video switch means (114) located in series with said video signal conductor for selectively separating said video conductor into first and second video conductor segments so as to allow simultaneous and independent video signal transfer among said video components connected to said first and second video conductor segments.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 22, characterized in that said video switch means is located at one of said distributed locations of said video conductor.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus as recited in Claim 23, characterized in that said one distributed location is associated with a predetermined connection means located adjacent connection means associated with two other video (12,16) components.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
198 words
Interconnection apparatus as recited in Claim 1 adapted for transferring audio and video signals between separate audio and video components of a home entertainment system, and wherein said single signal conductor is arranged in first and second portions, respectively, comprising a single signal conductor (30;32) adapted for transferring an audio signal produced by one of said components (16;20;22;24) to at least one other of said components, and a single signal conductor (28) adapted for transferring a video signal produced by one of said video components (10;12;14;16) to at least one other of said video components, characterized in that said connection means is adapted to be associated with respective ones of said audio and video components for connecting audio and/or video signal inputs and/or outputs of said components to said audio and video signal conductors, respectively; and said switch means comprises audio and video switch means connected in series with said audio and video signal conductors, respectively, for selectively separating said conductors into said first and second segments so as to allow simultaneous and independent video and audio signal transfer among components adapted to be connected to the same one of said first and second segments of said conductors.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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