JPH01293423A - Bit map system display device for data processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a misoperation by non-displaying pointing device cursor when the non-displaying is instructed by a switching means for displaying selection. CONSTITUTION:While the switch of a pointing device driver (PD)21 is pushed by a finger, the cursor during the moving of the PD 21 is not displayed, the processing such as the date development of a cursor pattern to a VRAM 25 and the transfer to a saving memory are not necessary, and therefore, a PD cursor can be moved at a high speed. Thus, since the pointing device cursor unnecessary on operation like a conventional display device is not displayed, the easy-to-see picture is obtained and the misoperation is prevented.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention is applicable to personal computers, word processors, DPS (data processing systems),
It relates to a bitmap display device suitable for use in various data processing devices that perform data processing in other interactive formats, particularly in data processing devices in which a keyboard and a pointing device are connected in parallel as input devices. By hiding the pointing device and cursor that are unnecessary for operation, such as when you want to input only from the keyboard or when you want to specify only the start and end points when operating a pointing device, you can improve the user interface and improve the pointing device. The present invention relates to a bitmap type display device that enables faster movement operations, prevents erroneous operations, and improves operability by hiding a cursor that is unnecessary for operation.

Conventionally, personal computers and other data processing devices that create documents and process image data through various interactive formats have keyboards and pointing devices connected side by side as input devices. Both are selected and used depending on the operation content.

For example, a keyboard is used to input characters, and a pointing device is often used to indicate the position on the screen for image processing. giving instructions.

However, in the case of this type of data processing device equipped with a so-called graphic processing function, a bitmap type display device is used, and data is displayed on the video memory (VRAM) as the pointing device cursor moves. Since it is necessary to rewrite the cursor, the user interface inevitably deteriorates and the cursor movement speed also slows down.

First, an outline of the configuration of a conventional data processing apparatus that processes document creation, image data, etc. in an interactive manner will be explained.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a data processing device equipped with functions for creating documents and processing image data, etc. in a conventionally used interactive format.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the main part configuration. In the drawing, 1 is a keyboard, 2 is a keyboard controller, 3 is an image scanner, 4 is a scanner controller, 5 is a pointing device, 6 is a pointing device/controller, 7 is a CRT display unit, 8 is a CRT controller, and 9 is a VRAM ( video·
1o is the printer, 11 is the printer controller, 12 is the FDD (floppy disk driver) unit, 13 is the FDD controller, 14 is the CPU
, 15 is ROM.

16 is a RAM, and 17 is a system bus.

The functions of each part of the data processing apparatus shown in FIG. 4 are as follows.

The keyboard 1 is an input means for inputting character data, control data, etc. Information entered from keyboard 1 is
Keyboard controller 2. It is sent to the computer side via the system bus 17.

The image scanner 3 reads the original image image,
The read pixel data is sent to the computer side via the scanner controller 4 and system bus 17. In this case, it is also possible to read the original in two gradations, black and white.
For example, it is also possible to read to express the difference in shading using multiple gradations such as 166 gradations. Furthermore, it is also possible to specify reading density, reading position, etc.

The pointing device 5 converts the amount of mechanical displacement into an electrical signal and moves the cursor.
It is sent to the computer side via the controller 6 and system bus 17.

The CRT display unit 7 is a bitmap type display device, and is a display means that visually displays one character data or image data in a dot pattern on its screen. C
A CRT controller 8 is connected to the RT display unit 7, and is controlled to display text data and image data developed into bitmaps on the VRAM 5 on one screen.

The printer 10 is a dot image printing device such as a laser beam printer, an inkjet printer, or a thermal dot printer, and prints a dot pattern.
．． The created text data and image data are given from the computer side via the printer controller 11, and a hard copy is created.

The floppy disk of the FDD unit 12 is an external storage device, and read information is sent to the computer side via the FDD controller 13 and system bus 17.

The CPU 14, ROM 15, and RAM 16 constitute a system control section of the personal computer.

That is, the ROM 15 stores programs that control the entire system, character pattern data, etc., and the RAM 16 is a system memory that stores other data. The CPU 14 controls the entire system shown in FIG.

A data processing device such as a personal computer or a word processor capable of creating a so-called picture-filled document has a configuration as shown in FIG.

As already explained, data processing devices that create documents and process image data in an interactive manner,
Necessary instructions are given by operating the pointing device/cursor.

FIG. 5 shows pattern data processing on the VRAM 9 when the pointing device/cursor is moved in a conventional data processing system equipped with functions for creating documents and processing image data in the interactive format shown in FIG. It is a figure showing an example. In the drawing, PKa is the initial position area of the pointing device cursor, PKb
indicates the area of the movement destination position.

The pointing device cursor is in the initial position area P
Assume that the pointing device is operated to move the cursor to area PKb while the area is displayed in area PKb.

In this case, first, the pattern data on VRAMe written in area PKb at the destination position shown in FIG. 5 is saved to a save memory (not shown).

Next, exclusive OR processing is performed on the bitmap pattern data of the pointing device cursor and the pattern data of area PKb at the movement destination position, and the combined data is written to area PKb at the movement destination position, and the screen Display above.

- When the pointing device cursor displayed in the area PKb of the movement destination position is moved to another position, the previously evacuated data is returned to this area PKb again. The data saved in the save memory is transferred to the area area of the VRAM 9.

In this way, when moving the pointing device cursor, the pattern data at the destination position is saved to another save memory, and when the cursor is erased,
It is necessary to transfer the data to the VRAM 9 again.

In addition, such processing needs to be constantly executed at an appropriate sampling period while the pointing device is being operated (moved), resulting in an inconvenience in that the user interface deteriorates.

By the way, as already mentioned, in a conventional data processing device equipped with a pointing device and a keyboard, in a higher-level application.

It was impossible to control the display/non-display of the pointing device/cursor.

As a result, there is a pointing device cursor and a keyboard character cursor on the screen.

It will be displayed all the time.

However, in actual operations, there are often cases where it is desired to perform input only using the keyboard.

In this case, the input from the pointing device is
It will be ignored by the application. Hiding the pointing device cursor would further enhance the user interface, but as mentioned earlier, it is not possible to hide this cursor with conventional devices.

Furthermore, when operating a pointing device, for example, when drawing a straight line, there are cases where it is desired to click only the starting point and ending point.

In other words, there may be no problem in operation even if the pointing device cursor is not displayed during the intermediate movement.

In this case as well, the pointing device cursor cannot be hidden, so as mentioned earlier, V
You can save the pattern data on RAM to the save memory, transfer the cursor pattern to the corresponding display position,
When erasing a cursor, a lot of processing is required, such as retransferring it from the save memory and restoring it, resulting in many inconveniences, such as an unavoidable reduction in processing speed.

Therefore, the bitmap display device of the data processing device of the present invention solves such inconveniences that occur when creating documents or processing image data using the conventional interactive format, and allows pointing with simple operations. By making it possible to control the display/hide of the device cursor, it prevents erroneous operations by hiding the cursor that is obtrusive during operation, improves the user interface, and enables high-speed movement of the pointing device and cursor. The purpose is to

To this end, the present invention is equipped with a keyboard and pointing device as an input device, a bitmap display device as an output device, and a central processing unit that controls each of these parts, and receives data and control information from the input device. In a conventional data processing system, a cursor is displayed on the pointing device. - a display selection switch means for selecting non-display, and a pointing device/cursor display control means for controlling display/non-display of the pointing device/cursor by an output of the display selection switch means; When the switch means indicates that the display is hidden, the pointing device or
The cursor is hidden.

Next, embodiments of the bitmap type display device of the data processing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the hardware configuration and basic software showing an embodiment of the essential configuration of a bitmap type display device of a data processing apparatus according to the present invention. In the drawings, 21 is a pointing device, 22 is a pointing device pulse detection circuit, 23 is a pointing device driver, 24 is a bitmap development circuit, 25 is a VRAM, 26 is a bitmap type display device, and 27 to 29 are Show steps.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the upper application instructs the pointing device driver 23, which is basic software, to display/hide (on/off) the pointing device cursor (PD cursor). No sockets provided.

This socket is a method for passing parameters between the upper application and the basic software, and in fact,
This is achieved by using queues (queues) or vibes (communication between tasks).

Therefore, even if the pointing device (PD) 21 and keyboard are used together, under any conditions,
It becomes possible to erase the display of the PD cursor, and it is also possible to erase the display of the PD cursor in order to speed up the movement of the PD cursor.

The functions of each part are outlined below.

The PD 21 basically has the same configuration as the conventional one, but has added means for instructing display/non-display of the cursor, that is, display selection switch means.

The pointing device pulse detection circuit 22 detects a signal from the PD 21 during normal operation, but when the added switch means instructs non-display, it detects that fact.

Coordinate value information is returned to the pointing device driver (PD driver) 23 to the upper application by software interrupts from the time the switch (or button) of the PD 21 is pressed until the time it is released.

The bitmap expansion circuit 24, VRAM 25, and bitmap type display device 26 have the same configuration as a conventional display device.

The operation of hiding the PD cursor is as follows.

In the bitmap type display device of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, when the display selection switch means added to the PD 21 instructs to hide the PD cursor, the PD driver 23 sends a software interrupt to the upper application. The coordinate value information is returned (step 27).

After this interrupt occurs, the upper application.

The PD driver 23 is notified of deletion of the PD cursor.

The PD driver 23 stops sending the cursor pattern data to the bitmap expansion circuit 24 and erases the PD cursor until the PD pulse detection circuit 22 turns off the pulse.

The upper application (27 in FIG. 1) starts a coordinate value calculation routine (28 in FIG. 1).

In the PD cursor display determination routine, it is determined whether the pulse is on or off (29 in FIG. 1).

Next, the operation of drawing a straight line by operating the PD cursor will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the operation when drawing a straight line in the bitmap type display device of the data processing apparatus of the present invention.

The next FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen corresponding to FIG. 2. At 114, ■' indicates the cursor corresponding to the starting point position in FIG. 2, and ■' indicates the cursor corresponding to the ending point position ■.

Assume that the cursor display switch of the PD 21 is pressed with a finger at the starting point position (3) of the straight line shown in FIG.

In this case, as shown in the upper part of Figure 3, the cursor ■
' is displayed.

Next, it is assumed that a straight line is drawn while operating the PD 21 while pressing the switch with a finger, and the finger is released from the switch at the end point position (3) in FIG.

In this case, a straight line is drawn as shown in the center diagram of Figure 3, and eventually the cursor ■
' is displayed.

In this way, when the PD21 switch is pressed with your finger, the cursor is hidden while the PD21 is moving, and the VRA
Since processing such as data expansion of the cursor pattern to M and transfer to the save memory is unnecessary, the PD cursor can be moved at high speed.

Therefore, unlike conventional display devices, a pointing device or cursor that is unnecessary for operation is not displayed, resulting in an easy-to-read screen and preventing erroneous operations.

Furthermore, since the display/non-display of the cursor can be controlled by the application, the burden on the basic software is reduced, the user interface is not degraded, and the pointing device and cursor can be moved at high speed.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the display/non-display of the PD cursor is controlled by a program has been described. However, it is also possible to control the display/non-display of the PD cursor by hardware means, and this is not limited to the case of the embodiment. In this case it can be carried out.

Compared to conventional display devices, a screen that is extremely easy to view can be obtained.

As described above in detail, the present invention includes a keyboard and a pointing device as an input device, a bitmap display device as an output device, and a central processing unit that controls each of these parts, and receives data and control from the input device. In a conventional data processing system having a function of inputting information and displaying it on the screen of the display device, and performing interactive data processing by giving instructions with a cursor of the pointing device, a cursor is placed on the pointing device. A display selection switch means for selecting display/non-display, and a pointing device/cursor display control means for controlling display/non-display of the pointing device/cursor by an output of the display selection switch means; When non-display is instructed by the switching means, the pointing device cursor is hidden.

Therefore, according to the bitmap display device of the data processing device of the present invention, by hiding the pointing device and cursor that are unnecessary for operation, the screen becomes easy to see and the occurrence of operational errors is significantly reduced. Ru.

Also by application program.

Since display/non-display of the pointing device/cursor can be controlled, the burden on the basic software is reduced and the user interface is improved.

Furthermore, since the pointing device cursor is displayed only when necessary for operation, many excellent effects such as speeding up cursor movement can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the hardware configuration and basic software showing an embodiment of the essential configuration of a bitmap display device of a data processing device according to the present invention. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the operation when drawing a straight line in the bitmap display device of the data processing device of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen corresponding to FIG. 2; Figure 4 shows an example of a data processing device equipped with the functions of creating documents and processing image data in a conventionally used interactive format.
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the main configuration of the system. The figure which shows an example of the data processing on VRAM9 when moving a cursor. In the drawing, 21 is a pointing device, 22 is a pointing device pulse detection circuit, 23 is a pointing device driver, 24 is a bitmap development circuit, 25 is a VRAM, 26 is a bitmap type display device, and 27 to 29 are steps. Leaf 1 Zuhi 2 Zuzaka 5 Figure ↓ Monument 3 Figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] keyboard and pointing device as input devices,
It is equipped with a bitmap type display device as an output device and a central processing unit that controls each of these parts, and inputs data and control information from the input device and displays it on the screen of the display device, and the pointing device. In a data processing system having a function of performing interactive data processing by giving instructions with a cursor, a display selection switch means for selecting display/non-display of a cursor on the pointing device; A pointing device that controls display/non-display of the pointing device cursor by output.
cursor display control means, wherein a pointing device cursor is hidden when non-display is instructed by the display selection switch means.