Docking station and image display system

Abstract

The utility model is suitable for the technical field of information transmission, and provides a docking station and an image display system. The docking station comprises a detection unit, a switching unit, a signal sending unit and a plurality of signal source interfaces supporting different communication protocols. Each signal source interface is connected with the detection unit and the switching unit, the detection unit is connected with the switching unit, and the switching unit is connected with the signal sending unit; the detection unit is used for determining a target signal source interface which receives an input signal in each signal source interface; and the switching unit is used for controlling a communication link between the target signal source interface and the signal sending unit to be conducted, and controlling communication links between other signal source interfaces except the target signal source interface in the signal source interfaces and the signal sending unit to be disconnected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of information transmission technology, and in particular, relates to a docking station and an image display system. Background Art

[0002] Currently, some expansion docks may include a plurality of signal source interfaces supporting different communication protocols, and the expansion dock may receive input signals from external devices through these signal source interfaces.

[0003] However, when the signal source interface for receiving input signals from external devices is switched, such as switching from a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, it is usually necessary to manually control a switch button to switch, and the automatic switching function cannot be achieved. Therefore, the signal source interface switching operation of the existing docking station is less convenient. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a docking station and an image display system to solve the technical problem that the signal source interface switching operation of the existing docking station is less convenient.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a docking station, the docking station comprising a detection unit, a switching unit, a signal sending unit, and a plurality of signal source interfaces supporting different communication protocols; each of the signal source interfaces is connected to the detection unit and the switching unit, the detection unit is connected to the switching unit, and the switching unit is connected to the signal sending unit;

[0006] The detection unit is used to determine the target signal source interface that receives the input signal among the signal source interfaces;

[0007] The switching unit is used to control the communication link between the target signal source interface and the signal sending unit to be connected, and to control the communication link between other signal source interfaces among the signal source interfaces except the target signal source interface and the signal sending unit to be disconnected.

[0008] Optionally, the expansion dock is connected to the first device via each of the signal source interfaces.

[0009] Optionally, the expansion dock further includes a signal compression unit, which is connected between the switching unit and the signal sending unit; the target signal source interface is used to send the first signal sent by the first device to the signal compression unit;

[0010] The signal compression unit is used to receive the first signal, compress the first signal to obtain a second signal, and send the second signal to the signal sending unit.

[0011] Optionally, the expansion dock is connected to the second device via the signal sending unit;

[0012] The signal sending unit is used to send the second signal to the second device.

[0013] Optionally, the signal sending unit includes a first sending unit and a second sending unit, the first sending unit is connected to the signal compression unit, the second sending unit is communicatively connected to the first sending unit, and the second sending unit is connected to the second device;

[0014] The first sending unit is used to receive the second signal sent by the signal compression unit, and send the second signal to the second sending unit through wireless communication technology;

[0015] The second sending unit is used to receive the second signal and send the second signal to the second device.

[0016] Optionally, the first sending unit includes a WIFI signal transmitter;

[0017] The first sending unit is specifically configured to send the second signal to the second sending unit via the WIFI signal transmitter.

[0018] Optionally, the second sending unit includes a WIFI signal receiver;

[0019] The second sending unit is specifically configured to receive the second signal through the WIFI signal receiver.

[0020] Optionally, the second sending unit further includes a signal decompression unit; the signal decompression unit is connected to the WIFI signal receiver and the second device;

[0021] The signal decompression unit is used for decompressing the second signal to obtain a third signal, and sending the third signal to the second device.

[0022] Optionally, the expansion dock further includes a expansion dock body; the expansion dock body is connected to each of the signal source interfaces and the switching unit.

[0023] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an image display system, comprising a docking station as described in any one of the first aspect, a first device, and a second device.

[0024] The expansion dock and image display system provided by the embodiments of the present application have the following beneficial effects:

[0025] The embodiment of the present application provides a docking station, which includes a detection unit, a switching unit, a signal sending unit and a plurality of signal source interfaces supporting different communication protocols; each signal source interface is connected to the detection unit and the switching unit, the detection unit is connected to the switching unit, and the switching unit is connected to the signal sending unit; the detection unit is used to determine the target signal source interface that receives the input signal in each signal source interface; the switching unit is used to control the communication link between the target signal source interface and the signal sending unit, and control the communication link between the other signal source interfaces except the target signal source interface in each signal source interface and the signal sending unit to be disconnected. The docking station provided by the present application can determine the target signal source interface that receives the input signal in each signal source interface, and control the communication link between the target signal source interface and the signal sending unit to be connected, and control the communication link between the other signal source interfaces except the target signal source interface in each signal source interface and the signal sending unit to be disconnected, so that the function of automatic switching can be realized, which improves the convenience of the signal source interface switching operation of the docking station. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a docking station provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a docking station provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of an image display system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] It should be noted that the terms used in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" refers to two or more than two, and "at least one", "one or more" refers to one, two or more. The terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, it is defined that the "first" and "second" features can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0031] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" etc. described in this specification mean that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the present application. Thus, the phrases "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in some other embodiments", "in some other embodiments", etc. that appear at different places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variations all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways.

[0032] In the prior art, when the signal source interface for receiving the input signal of the external device is switched, it is usually necessary to manually control the switch button to switch, and the expansion dock cannot realize the automatic switching function. It can be seen that the convenience of the signal source interface switching operation of the existing expansion dock is low.

[0033] The embodiment of the present application first provides an expansion dock. Different from the expansion dock in the prior art, the expansion dock provided by the embodiment of the present application includes a detection unit and a switching unit. The detection unit can be used to determine the target signal source interface that receives the input signal among the various signal source interfaces. Thereafter, the switching unit can be used to control the communication link between the target signal source interface and the signal sending unit to be connected, and control the communication link between the signal source interfaces other than the target signal source interface among the various signal source interfaces and the signal sending unit to be disconnected, thereby realizing the function of automatic switching.

[0034] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a docking station provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the docking station 11 may include a detection unit 111, a switching unit 112, a signal sending unit 113, and a plurality of signal source interfaces 114 supporting different communication protocols.

[0035] Each signal source interface 114 may be connected to the detection unit 111 and the switching unit 112 , the detection unit 111 may be connected to the switching unit 112 , and the switching unit 112 may be connected to the signal sending unit 113 .

[0036] The docking station 11 can be connected to the first device 12 and the second device 13. Specifically, the docking station 11 can be connected to the first device 12 through each signal source interface 114, and the docking station 11 can be connected to the second device 13 through the signal sending unit 113.

[0037] In practical applications, the first device 12 may be a terminal device. For example, the first device 12 may include but is not limited to electronic devices such as laptop computers, desktop computers, and mobile phones; the second device 13 may include but is not limited to a display device.

[0038] Each signal source interface 114 can receive the first signal sent by the first device 12 .

[0039] In practical applications, the communication protocols supported by each signal source interface 114 may be different. For example, the signal source interface 114 may include but is not limited to an HDMI interface, a USB-C interface, and a USB-HUB interface.

[0040] The detection unit 111 may be used to determine a target signal source interface 114 among the signal source interfaces 114 that receives an input signal.

[0041] Exemplarily, when the detection unit 111 detects that an HDMI interface among the signal source interfaces 114 receives an input signal, the detection unit 111 may determine the HDMI interface among the signal source interfaces 114 as a target signal source interface 114 .

[0042] The switching unit 112 can be used to control the communication link between the target signal source interface 114 and the signal sending unit 113 to be connected, and to control the communication link between other signal source interfaces 114 except the target signal source interface 114 and the signal sending unit 113 to be disconnected after the detection unit 111 determines the target signal source interface.

[0043] Exemplarily, when the detection unit 111 determines the HDMI interface among the signal source interfaces 114 as the target signal source interface 114, the switching unit 112 can control the communication link between the HDMI interface and the signal sending unit 113 to be connected, and control the communication link between other signal source interfaces 114 among the signal source interfaces 114 except the HDMI interface and the signal sending unit 113 to be disconnected.

[0044] When the communication link between the target signal source interface 114 and the signal sending unit 113 is connected, and the communication links between the signal source interfaces 114 other than the target signal source interface 114 and the signal sending unit 113 are disconnected, the first device 12 can send a signal to the second device 13 through the communication link between the target signal source interface 114 and the signal sending unit 113.

[0045] When the signal source interface 114 receiving the input signal among the signal source interfaces 114 changes, the target signal source interface 114 determined by the detection unit 111 will also change. Exemplarily, when the signal source interface 114 receiving the input signal changes from the HDMI interface to the USB-C interface, the target signal source interface 114 determined by the detection unit 111 will also change from the HDMI interface to the USB-C interface.

[0046] When the target signal source interface 114 determined by the detection unit 111 changes, the communication link that is turned on and off by the switching unit 112 will also change. Exemplarily, when the target signal source interface 114 determined by the detection unit 111 changes from an HDMI interface to a USB-C interface, the switching unit 112 controls the communication link between the USB-C interface and the signal sending unit 113 to be turned on, and controls the communication links between the signal source interfaces 114 other than the USB-C interface and the signal sending unit 113 to be turned off, thereby realizing the automatic switching function.

[0047] As can be seen from the above, the embodiment of the present application provides a docking station, which includes a detection unit, a switching unit, a signal sending unit and a plurality of signal source interfaces supporting different communication protocols; each signal source interface is connected to the detection unit and the switching unit, the detection unit is connected to the switching unit, and the switching unit is connected to the signal sending unit; the detection unit is used to determine the target signal source interface that receives the input signal in each signal source interface; the switching unit is used to control the communication link between the target signal source interface and the signal sending unit, and control the communication link between the other signal source interfaces except the target signal source interface in each signal source interface and the signal sending unit to be disconnected. The docking station provided by the present application can determine the target signal source interface that receives the input signal in each signal source interface, and control the communication link between the target signal source interface and the signal sending unit to be connected, and control the communication link between the other signal source interfaces except the target signal source interface in each signal source interface and the signal sending unit to be disconnected, so that the function of automatic switching can be realized, which improves the convenience of the signal source interface switching operation of the docking station.

[0048] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2A schematic structural diagram of a docking station provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, in an optional implementation, the docking station 11 may further include a signal compression unit 115 .

[0050] The signal compression unit 115 may be connected between the switching unit 112 and the signal sending unit 113 .

[0051] In this implementation, the target signal source interface 114 may be used to send the first signal sent by the first device 12 to the signal compression unit 115 .

[0052] Based on this, the signal compression unit 115 can be used to receive the first signal sent by the target signal source interface 114. After the signal compression unit 115 receives the first signal, the signal compression unit 115 can compress the first signal to obtain a second signal. Thereafter, the signal compression unit 115 can send the second signal to the signal sending unit 113.

[0053] In this implementation, the signal sending unit 113 may send the received second signal to the second device 13 .

[0054] like Figure 2 As shown, in an optional implementation, the signal sending unit 113 may include a first sending unit 1131 and a second sending unit 1132 .

[0055] Among them, the first sending unit 1131 is connected to the signal compression unit 115 , the first sending unit 1131 is communicatively connected to the second sending unit 1132 , and the second sending unit 1132 is connected to the second device 13 .

[0056] The first sending unit 1131 may be configured to receive the second signal sent by the signal compression unit 115 , and send the second signal to the second sending unit 1132 via wireless communication technology.

[0057] The second sending unit 1132 may be configured to receive the second signal sent by the first sending unit 1131 , and send the received second signal to the second sending unit 1132 .

[0058] In a possible implementation, the first sending unit 1131 may send the second signal to the second sending unit 1132 via a wireless local area network (Wireless Fidelity, WIFI).

[0059] In this implementation, the first sending unit 1131 may include a WIFI signal transmitter. The first sending unit 1131 is specifically configured to send the second signal to the second sending unit 1132 via the WIFI signal transmitter.

[0060] In this implementation, the second sending unit 1132 may include a signal acquisition unit 11321, wherein the signal acquisition unit 11321 may include a WIFI signal receiver. The second sending unit 1132 is specifically configured to receive the second signal sent by the first sending unit 1131 through the WIFI signal receiver.

[0061] like Figure 2 As shown, in an optional implementation, the second sending unit 1132 may also include a signal decompression unit 11322.

[0062] The signal decompression unit 11322 may be connected to the signal acquisition unit 11321 and the second device 13 . Specifically, the signal decompression unit 11322 may be connected to the WIFI signal receiver and the second device 13 .

[0063] The signal decompression unit 11322 can be used to receive the second signal sent by the signal acquisition unit 11321. After the signal decompression unit 11322 receives the second signal, the signal decompression unit 11322 can decompress the second signal to obtain a third signal. Thereafter, the signal decompression unit 11322 can send the third signal to the second device 13.

[0064] In an optional implementation, the docking station 11 may further include a docking station body.

[0065] The docking station body may be connected to the signal source interface 114 and the switching unit 112 .

[0066] The docking station body can be used to expand or duplicate various signal source interfaces 114 .

[0067] The following combination Figure 2 The working principle of an expansion dock provided in an embodiment of the present application is described in detail:

[0068] When the first device 12 sends a first signal to a target signal source interface 114 in the docking station 12 , the detection unit 111 may determine a target signal source interface 114 among the signal source interfaces 114 that has received the input signal.

[0069] After the detection unit 111 determines the target signal source interface 114, the switching unit 112 can control the communication link between the target signal source interface 114 and the signal sending unit 113 to be connected, and control the communication link between other signal source interfaces 114 except the target signal source interface 114 and the signal sending unit 113 to be disconnected.

[0070] Afterwards, the signal compression unit 115 can receive the first signal sent by the target signal source interface 114. After receiving the first signal, the signal compression unit 115 can compress the first signal to obtain a second signal. Afterwards, the signal compression unit 115 can send the second signal to the first sending unit 1131.

[0071] After the first sending unit 1131 receives the second signal sent by the signal compression unit 115, the second signal may be sent to the second sending unit 1132 via the WIFI signal transmitter. The second sending unit 1132 may receive the second signal sent by the first sending unit 1131 via the WIFI signal receiver.

[0072] After receiving the second signal, the second sending unit 1132 may send the second signal to the signal decompression unit 11322. After receiving the second signal sent by the signal acquisition unit 11321, the signal decompression unit 11322 may decompress the second signal to obtain a third signal, and then the signal decompression unit 11322 may send the third signal to the second device 13.

[0073] When the target signal source interface 114 that receives the input signal of the first device 12 changes, the target signal source interface 114 determined by the detection unit 111 will also change. At this time, the switching unit 112 will switch the communication link between the signal source interface 114 and the signal sending unit 113, thereby realizing the automatic switching function.

[0074] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of an image display system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0075] like Figure 3 As shown, the image display system 31 may include Figure 1 to Figure 2 The corresponding docking station 11, the first device 12 and the second device 13 in any one of the embodiments.

[0076] The docking station 11 is connected to the first device 12 and the second device 13 .

[0077] In a possible implementation, the second device 13 may include a display device. The first device 12 may include a terminal device, wherein the terminal device may include but is not limited to electronic devices such as a laptop computer, a desktop computer, and a mobile phone.

[0078] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0079] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0080] The embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, a person skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some of the technical features may be replaced by equivalents. Such modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should all be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A docking station, characterized in that: The expansion dock includes a detection unit, a switching unit, a signal sending unit, and a plurality of signal source interfaces supporting different communication protocols; each of the signal source interfaces is connected to the detection unit and the switching unit, the detection unit is connected to the switching unit, and the switching unit is connected to the signal sending unit; The detection unit is used to determine the target signal source interface that receives the input signal among the signal source interfaces; The switching unit is used to control the communication link between the target signal source interface and the signal sending unit to be connected, and to control the communication link between other signal source interfaces among the signal source interfaces except the target signal source interface and the signal sending unit to be disconnected.

2. The docking station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The expansion dock is connected to the first device via each of the signal source interfaces.

3. The docking station according to claim 2, characterized in that: The docking station further includes a signal compression unit, which is connected between the switching unit and the signal sending unit; the target signal source interface is used to send the first signal sent by the first device to the signal compression unit; The signal compression unit is used to receive the first signal, compress the first signal to obtain a second signal, and send the second signal to the signal sending unit.

4. The expansion dock according to claim 3, characterized in that: The expansion dock is connected to the second device via the signal sending unit; The signal sending unit is used to send the second signal to the second device.

5. The expansion dock according to claim 4, characterized in that: The signal sending unit includes a first sending unit and a second sending unit, the first sending unit is connected to the signal compression unit, the second sending unit is communicatively connected to the first sending unit, and the second sending unit is connected to the second device; The first sending unit is used to receive the second signal sent by the signal compression unit, and send the second signal to the second sending unit through wireless communication technology; The second sending unit is used to receive the second signal and send the second signal to the second device.

6. The expansion dock according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first sending unit includes a WIFI signal transmitter; The first sending unit is specifically configured to send the second signal to the second sending unit via the WIFI signal transmitter.

7. The docking station according to claim 6, characterized in that: The second sending unit includes a WIFI signal receiver; The second sending unit is specifically configured to receive the second signal through the WIFI signal receiver.

8. The docking station according to claim 7, characterized in that: The second sending unit further includes a signal decompression unit; the signal decompression unit is connected to the WIFI signal receiver and the second device; The signal decompression unit is used for decompressing the second signal to obtain a third signal, and sending the third signal to the second device.

9. The docking station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The expansion dock further comprises an expansion dock body; the expansion dock body is connected to each of the signal source interfaces and the switching unit.

10. An image display system, characterized in that: The image display system comprises the docking station according to any one of claims 1 to 9, a first device and a second device.

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