Optical connector and control method of display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10890725-B2
Application number	US-201815991095-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2018
Priority date	Jul 12, 2017
Publication date	Jan 12, 2021
Grant date	Jan 12, 2021

Abstract

A control method of an optical connector and a display apparatus is provided. More particularly, a control method of an optical connector and a display apparatus for changing output of audio according to combination of an optical cable and the optical connector may be provided. Some of the example embodiments provide a control method of an optical connector and a display apparatus which may output audio through one of an internal speaker and an external apparatus connected via an optical cable according to combination of an optical cable and an optical connector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display apparatus comprising:
a speaker;
an optical connector configured to be connectable with an optical cable via insertion of the optical cable into the optical connector, to connect the display apparatus to an external apparatus, the optical connector including
a contact point, and
a protruded pin being moved to contact the contact point based on the optical cable being inserted into the optical connector, thereby generating an electric signal, and being separated by elasticity from the contact point based on the optical cable being not inserted into the optical connector; and

a processor configured to:
identify whether the optical connector is connected with or separated from the optical cable based on whether the electric signal is generated, and
control audio output to be output from the speaker or from the external apparatus via the optical cable, based on whether the optical connector and the optical cable are identified as connected or separated.

2. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a display,
wherein the processor is further configured to,
when the processor identifies that the optical connector and the optical cable are separated, control the display to display information indicating that the audio output is to be output from the speaker, and
when the processor identifies that the optical connector and the optical cable are connected, control the display to display information indicating that the audio output is to be output from the external apparatus.

3. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein
the information indicating that the audio output is to be output from the speaker is displayed in at least one of an upper region, a lower region, a left region and a center region of an area of the display in which a content is displayed, and
the information indicating that the audio output is to be output from the external device is displayed in at least one of the upper region, the lower region, the left region and the center region of the area of the display in which the content is displayed.

4. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to, while the audio output is output from the external apparatus, perform a control operation of limiting the output of the audio from the speaker.

5. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical connector comprises:
a main body;
a shutter configured to rotate with respect to the main body according to contact between the shutter and the optical cable based on the optical cable being inserted into the optical connector; and
an optical element configured to output a signal corresponding to the audio output via the optical cable.

6. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to
determine whether or not the electric signal is received by the processor, and
the processor identifies whether the optical connector is connected with or separated from the optical cable in accordance with the determination by the processor whether or not the electric signal is received by the processor.

7. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical connector comprises:
a main body, and
a shutter configured to, based on the optical cable being inserted into the optical connector, rotate with respect to the main body from an initial position, and
an elastic member configured to return the shutter to the initial position based on the optical connector being separated from the optical cable.

8. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein
the shutter is configured to rotate with respect to the main body from an initial position according to the contact between the shutter and the optical cable, and
the connector further comprises an elastic member configured to return the shutter to the initial position based on the optical connector being separated from the optical cable.

9. A display apparatus comprising:
a display;
a speaker;
an optical connector configured to be connectable with an optical cable, to connect the display apparatus to an external apparatus via the optical cable, the optical connector including
a contact point, and
a protruded pin being moved to contact the contact point based on the optical cable being connected to the optical connector, thereby generating an electric signal, and being separated by elasticity from the contact point based on the optical cable being not connected to the optical connector; and

a processor configured to,
with the optical connector not connected to the optical cable,
perform control so that an audio output is output from the speaker while content is being displayed on the display,
with the audio output being output from the speaker while the content is being displayed on the display, determine whether or not the optical connector is connected with the optical cable,

in response to the processor determining that the optical connector is connected with the optical cable,
control the display to display information indicating that the audio output is to be output from the external apparatus,
perform control to stop the audio output from being output from the speaker, and
perform control to cause the audio output to be output from the external apparatus.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Won-Jae
• Park Jong-Jin
• Kim Min-Sup
• Yun Hyun-Kyu

Classifications

• G02B6/3897 Primary

  Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards (G02B6/44528 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/4202 Primary

  for coupling an active element with fibres without intermediate optical elements, e.g. fibres with plane ends, fibres with shaped ends, bundles · CPC title

• H04R5/04

  Circuit arrangements, {e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments (combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S)} · CPC title

• H04N21/43632

  involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 (high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052) · CPC title

• H04N21/43615 Primary

  Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals (home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805) · CPC title