Switching method for audio output channel, and display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12506841-B2
Application number	US-202318326168-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2023
Priority date	Mar 19, 2021
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed are a method, and a display apparatus. The method includes: in response to a switching operation for an audio output channel of an external power amplifier, acquiring a first state corresponding to the switching operation; the audio output channel of the external power amplifier includes an ARC and/or an eARC, and the first state is configured to indicate on-off state of the eARC that is designated by the switching operation; and adjusting a connection state of the ARC and the eARC according to the first state, determining a target channel for outputting audio according to an adjustment of the connection state of the ARC and the eARC, and displaying the on-off state of the eARC that matches the target channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A display apparatus, comprising:
a display configured to display an image from broadcasting system or network, and/or, a user interface; one or more high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) ports configured to connect with one or more external power amplifiers, an audio output channel of an external power amplifier supports an audio return channel (ARC) and/or an enhanced audio return channel (eARC); a sound playing device configured to play audio; a memory, configured to store computer instructions and data associated with the display, the one or more HDMI ports and the sound playing device, and a processor, in connection with the display, the one or more HDMI ports, the sound playing device and the memory and configured to execute the computer instructions to cause the display apparatus to perform: in response to a switching operation for switching the audio output channel of the external power amplifier, acquiring a first state corresponding to the switching operation, wherein the first state is configured to indicate on-off state of the eARC that is designated by the switching operation; and adjusting connection states of the ARC and the eARC according to the first state, determining a target channel for audio output according to an adjustment of the connection state of the ARC and the eARC, and displaying the on-off state of the eARC that matches the target channel; wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to cause the display apparatus to perform: in response to a start instruction of the display apparatus, acquiring a drive source for causing the display apparatus to start, wherein the drive source comprises a CEC wake-up instruction sent from an external device, a key on a remote controller and a switch key on a body of the display apparatus; in response to the drive source being an HDMI source, sending a target device request to one or more external devices according to an HDMI protocol, wherein the target device request is configured to request a first external device currently in an active state from the one or more external devices; in response to receiving a response message as a reply to the target device request from the first external device, switching a video source of the display apparatus to a signal source that corresponding to the response message; displaying a start interface according to data output from the video source upon completion of the start of the display apparatus; and in response to the drive source being not the HDMI source, configuring the display apparatus as a target device, and not switching the video source to maintain the video source as a TV source; and displaying a home interface upon the completion of the start of the display apparatus.

2 . The display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to cause the display apparatus to perform:
in response to the switching operation being to switch the eARC from an off state to an on state, recording the first state as on; or, in response to the switching operation being to switch the eARC from an on state to an off state, recording the first state as off.

3 . The display apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to cause the display apparatus to perform:
in response to the first state being on, causing a driver layer of the display apparatus to connect to the eARC and disconnect from the ARC; and generating a second state according to connection to the eARC and disconnection from the ARC in the driver layer, and reporting the second state to a framework layer of the display apparatus, to cause the framework layer execute channel switching according to the second state, wherein the second state is configured to indicate connection or disconnection state of the eARC; wherein the channel switching is configured to: in response to the second state being on, determine that the target channel is the eARC and control the display to change a switch control for switching to eARC to the on state, wherein the switch control is a control presented on a user interface on the display.

4 . The display apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to cause the display apparatus to perform:
in response to the second state being off, determining that the target channel is the ARC, reestablishing a connection to the ARC, and causing the display to set the switch control for switching to eARC to the off state on the user interface; wherein the second state is off, in response to a connection failure of the eARC, timing out of a connection of the eARC, or detecting that the external power amplifier does not support the eARC while trying to establish a connection with the eARC.

5 . The display apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to cause the display apparatus to perform:
in response to the first state being off, causing a driver layer of the display apparatus to disconnect from the eARC, generating a second state and reporting the second state to a framework layer of the display apparatus, to cause the framework layer execute channel switching according to the second state, wherein the second state is off, and the channel switching is configured to: in response to the second state being off, determine that the target channel is the ARC, reestablish a connection to the ARC, and control the display to change a switch control for switching to eARC to the off state.

6 . The display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to cause the display apparatus to perform:
monitoring on-off state of a consumer electronics control (CEC) function; in response to the CEC function being switched from an on state to an off state, querying a current audio output channel of the display apparatus; in response to the current audio output channel being the eARC, maintaining the eARC unchanged as the audio output channel and causing the display to present a first reminder message, wherein the first reminder message is configured to remind a user that the CEC function is already switched off and a volume of the audio output by the eARC is not available for adjustment via the remote controller.

7 . The display apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to cause the display apparatus to perform:
in response to the CEC function being switched from the on state to the off state and the current audio output channel being the ARC, sending an exit instruction to the external power amplifier, to switch the audio output channel to the sound playing device of the display apparatus and causing the display to present a second reminder message; wherein the second reminder message is configured to remind the user that the CEC function is already switched off and the audio output channel is already automatically switched to the sound playing device, and the exit instruction is configured to instruct the external power amplifier to exit an ARC mode.

8 . The display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the response message comprises a physical address of an active source device.

9 . A method for a display apparatus, comprising:
in response to a switching operation for switching the audio output channel of an external power amplifier, acquiring a first state corresponding to the switching operation, wherein the first state is configured to indicate on-off state of the eARC

Assignees

• Hisense Visual Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Huo Junyi
• Zhang Dawei
• Yu Pengde

Classifications

• H04N21/4882

  for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders (arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895) · CPC title

• H04N21/43635 Primary

  HDMI · CPC title

• G06F3/165

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title

• H04N21/8106

  involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages · CPC title

• H04N21/4852

  for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo · CPC title