Port Polling Mechanism for Display Input Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of selecting and configuring input devices on modern display devices, such as televisions, increases due to numerous ports and types of connections, leading to user confusion and inefficiency in toggling between active and inactive devices.
Innovation Solution
A system where the primary device, such as a television, polls its ports to determine connected and active secondary devices, modifying the user interface to only display connected and active ports, and prioritizing them for easier selection, using methods like impedance measurement or signal detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the television displays all ports in the user interface, then the user can see all available input devices, but the user complexity increases when toggling between inactive ports
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts inactive ports from the user interface display, showing only active ports to the user. This removes unnecessary elements from the interface, reducing complexity while maintaining functionality. The system detects which ports have active devices and excludes inactive ports from the toggleable list, directly applying the extraction principle to simplify the user experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The user interface dynamically adapts its content based on the actual state of connected devices. The system continuously monitors which ports have active devices and adjusts the displayed port list accordingly. This dynamic behavior allows the interface to optimize itself for the current configuration, reducing complexity without sacrificing accessibility to all possible input sources.
2Measurement precision
If the television polls all ports to detect connected devices, then the system accurately identifies active devices, but the time required for detection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs port polling and device detection in advance, before the user needs to select an input device. By continuously monitoring port states and pre-identifying active devices, the system prepares the necessary information ahead of time. This preliminary action reduces the detection burden during actual user interaction, effectively lowering the perceived detection time while maintaining accuracy.
3Productivity
If the television skips empty ports during toggling, then the user reaches active devices faster, but the user must remember which ports are connected
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous feedback to the user about which ports are active and connected. By displaying only active ports in the user interface, the system constantly reminds the user of the current device connections through visual feedback. This eliminates the need for the user to remember port assignments, as the interface itself dynamically reflects the connection state, thereby reducing information loss while maintaining switching efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Simplifies the user interface by eliminating inactive ports from the selection process, reducing user complexity and improving the efficiency of toggling between active devices, ensuring only connected and powered devices are displayed and prioritized.
Implementation Method 1
measuring an impedance of the port
Implementation Method 2
detecting a signal from the port (e.g. audio or video)
Data Source
AI summary
A television includes at least two ports (e.g. HDMI ports). The television polls the ports before presenting a user interface that displays some or all of the ports and before toggling between any two of the ports. The polling ascertains whether a device is connected to each of the ports and whether the device is powered. The television modifies the display and/or toggling based on the current state of each port. For example, in toggling, ports that are not connected and ports that are connected to inactive devices are skipped. In another example, when displaying a list of ports, only those ports that are connected to devices appear in the list.