JP2002169524A - Communication method and apparatus, display method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily add font data used for OSD(On Screen Display) to the OSD function built into a display. SOLUTION: A font selection screen is displayed on a computer and a font desired to be added is selected by a user. The selected font data are superposed on a video signal and transmitted to a display 2. On the display 2 side, the video signal transmitted from the computer is decoded by a video data decoder 20, and the superposed font data are taken out. The font data are stored into an EEPROM 89. In a font ROM into which the default font is stored beforehand and in the EEPROM 89, the address, for example, is set continuously. The font data are read in a way as if a completely identical space is accessed in the font ROM and EEPROM 89.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a display method and apparatus, and a communication method and apparatus, in which font data used for OSD display can be easily added to an OSD function built in a display apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, in a display device for displaying a video signal outputted from, for example, a computer device, a display position, a display size, and a deflection frequency of a video signal to be displayed are various. For this reason, as a display device used for a computer device and the like,
A single device capable of supporting various video signals (video signals) has come to be used.

Some of such display devices can provide an optimum screen display for each type of video signal by using a built-in microprocessor or memory. As such a conventional example, for example, a display described in JP-A-1-321475 can be cited as an example.

In the conventional example described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-321475, information on the display position and display size of a screen is stored in advance in a memory for each type of video signal. Then, under the control of the microprocessor, the optimum display position and display size information of the screen corresponding to the input video signal are read out from the memory, and the deflection circuit of the display device is controlled based on the read out information.

On the other hand, if the type of the input video signal input to the display device is not known, it means that the corresponding information is not stored in the above-mentioned memory.
In this case, when the user operates, for example, an adjustment switch disposed on the front of the display device, display adjustment information such as display position and display size information of the screen is input. In the display device, control information such as a deflection circuit is created by the microprocessor based on the input display adjustment information, and display adjustment is performed by the control information.

[0006] In a display device in which display adjustment is performed using an adjustment switch arranged on the front of the display or the like, a display control called an on-screen display (OSD) is used to further enhance operability. The adjustment screen is displayed and the GUI (Graphical User In
terface).

FIG. 16 shows an example of the OSD at the time of this screen adjustment.
300 is shown. The OSD 300 for screen adjustment is configured with a screen based on a character as described above. The user operates the adjustment switch arranged on the front of the display device to select a desired adjustment item while looking at the adjustment screen by the OSD 300, and further operates the adjustment switch in a predetermined manner to select the desired item. Enter the adjustment value for the adjusted item. In the display device, control such as a deflection circuit is performed based on the input adjustment value,
The display screen is adjusted.

In the example of FIG. 16, a menu bar is provided above the OSD 300, and nine selection areas are provided. The selection areas indicate display adjustment items for the display device 2, respectively, and from the upper left, “SCR
EEN ”(image adjustment),“ CENTER ”(position adjustment),
“CONVER” (converter), “GEOM” (image distortion adjustment), “EXIT” (end of OSD300), “CO
LOR ”(color temperature adjustment),“ LANG ”(language),“ S
"SIZE" (size adjustment) and "OPTION" (option).

The OSD 300 reads out and displays bitmap data stored in a memory in advance in accordance with a character code. In a display device capable of displaying the OSD 300, a character-based OSD
Character generator is required hardware configuration.

FIG. 17 shows an OSD 300 according to the prior art.
Shows a configuration of an example of a display device 310 configured to display. For example, of the image output signals output from the computer device, a video signal RGB is input to a terminal 311 and a vertical synchronization signal VS and a horizontal synchronization signal HS are input to terminals 312 and 313, respectively. The video signal RGB is an analog video signal including R, G, and B primary color signals. The video signal RGB input to the terminal 311 is supplied to the video amplifier 315.
The horizontal and vertical synchronization signals HS and VS input to the terminals 312 and 313 are supplied to the deflection control circuit 318 and to the OSD generator 319.

On the other hand, a control signal output from an adjustment switch 321 disposed on the front panel of the display device 310 is supplied to the microprocessor 320. In addition,
Although not shown, a memory in which programs and data necessary for the microprocessor 320 to perform a predetermined operation, for example, are connected to the microprocessor 320. Various control signals and data output from the microprocessor 320 are supplied to the OSD generator 319, the video amplifier 315, and the deflection control circuit 318, respectively.

The video amplifier 315 controls the video signal RGB supplied from the terminal 311 and the O signal output from the OSD generator under the control of the microprocessor 320.
A video signal in which the SD display signal and the SD display signal are combined in a predetermined manner is output. This video signal is output from a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) 317.
Supplied to The deflection control circuit 318 controls the terminals 312 and 312 based on the control of the microprocessor 320.
The horizontal and vertical deflection signals are generated from the horizontal and vertical synchronizing signals HS and VS supplied from. The horizontal and vertical deflection signals are transmitted to the deflection yoke DY31 of the CRT 317.
6. In the CRT 317, the deflection yoke DY3
The electron beam is controlled by the horizontal and vertical deflection signals supplied to 16, and a predetermined screen display is performed.

When a control signal for instructing, for example, display screen adjustment is supplied to the microprocessor 320 based on the operation of the adjustment switch 321, the microprocessor 320 sends an OSD generator 319 for displaying an OSD. An instruction command for instructing the generation of an OSD character is issued. The OSD generator 320 generates an OSD video signal that enables the display of the control screen as shown in FIG. 16 described above, for example, in accordance with the content indicated by the instruction command. This OSD
The video signal is, for example, RGB video signal and OSD
And a blanking signal. This OSD video signal is
The video signal is supplied to the video amplifier 315, and as described above, the terminal 3
11 is combined with the video signal RGB supplied from.

FIG. 18 shows the configuration of the OSD generator 319 according to the prior art in more detail. Register bus 35
0, PLL 351 and serial bus I / F 35
2. A code RAM (Random Access Memory) 353 and a timing controller 354 are connected. The timing controller 354 is connected to a font bus 357. The font bus 357 further includes a font ROM.
(Read Only Memory) 355 and Color Generator 3
56 are connected. The font ROM 355 contains the OSD
Bitmap data corresponding to character data for display is stored in advance.

The instruction command output from the microprocessor 320 is received by the serial bus I / F 352 as serial data for OSD control. This serial data is decoded by the serial bus I / F 352 and written to a control register (not shown) for controlling each block of the OSD generator 319.
Writing of data to the control register and reading of data from the control register are performed via the register bus 350.

The horizontal synchronizing signal HS input from the terminal 311 of the display device 310 is also supplied to the PLL 351. The clock necessary for the OSD display is generated by the PLL 351 in synchronization with the horizontal synchronization signal HS.

The character code for performing the OSD display output from the microprocessor 320 is input to the serial bus I / F 352, decoded, and supplied to the register bus 350. This character code is supplied to the code RAM 353 and stored in the code RAM 353. The character code stored in the code RAM 353 includes code data indicating a character displayed on the OSD display screen and coordinate data at which the character is displayed.

The horizontal and vertical synchronizing signals HS input from terminals 311 and 312 of the display device 310,
VS is supplied to the timing controller 354. Timing control is performed by the timing controller 354 based on the horizontal and vertical synchronization signals HS and VS and control data supplied from the microprocessor 320 via the serial bus I / F 352 and the register bus 350, and the OSD display is displayed from the code RAM 353. The code data of the font to be performed is read. Based on this code data, bitmap data corresponding to the display character by the OSD is read from the font ROM 355 via the font bus 357 and supplied to the color generator 356.

The timing is controlled by the timing controller 354, and the OSD is stored in the code RAM 353.
Coordinate data for displaying a font for display is read. The read coordinate data is supplied to the color generator 356 via the font bus 357.

In the color generator 356, color data and transmission data are added to the bitmap data supplied via the font bus 357. The bitmap data of the font display to which the data is added from the color day or the other opposition is converted into a control pulse OSD_RGB of each color of RGB and a blanking pulse OSD_Blanking of the OSD display based on the coordinate data of the font display, and is supplied to the video amplifier 315.

[0021]

In the case of a display device that performs the above-described OSD display, only the character-based display can be performed as the OSD display, and it is not always easy for the user to use. There was a problem.

If a complicated display such as multilingual display is to be performed to enhance the convenience of the interface, the number of characters prepared for the OSD display increases, and the memory required for the font ROM 355 is required. There is a problem that the capacity increases.

Further, the conventional display device 310 has a problem that the fonts that can be used to display the OSD 300 are limited to the fonts stored and registered in the font ROM 355 in advance.

In such a configuration, when correcting or adding a font, it is necessary to correct the font ROM 355. For example, if the OSD generator 319 is 1
It is composed of a chip IC (integrated circuit) and has a font ROM
To modify the contents of the font ROM 355 when the IC 355 is incorporated in the IC, the IC
It is necessary to rebuild the whole. That is, font ROM
In spite of merely modifying the contents of 355, there is a problem that a mask for the entire IC chip is required for manufacturing the IC, resulting in an increase in cost.

Several methods have been proposed to solve such a problem. For example, JP-A-11-309
As in the method described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 76-76, it has been proposed to adjust the display of a display device from the computer device side using a GUI of an application of the computer device. According to this method, since the OSD generator 319 itself is not required on the display device 310 side as compared with the above-described configuration according to the related art, the above-described problem is solved.

However, in this method, since it is necessary to perform bidirectional communication between the computer device and the display device, a dedicated communication for performing bidirectional communication is performed between the computer device and the display device. A line had to be provided. Providing a dedicated communication line for bidirectional communication with an existing cable connecting a computer device and a display device means that the number of cables will increase or that the generally used existing cables will not be usable. There was a problem.

For example, a method has been proposed in which predetermined data is superimposed on a video signal and a synchronization signal output from a computer device, as in the method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-204167. In this method, there is no need to provide a dedicated communication line to superimpose data on the video signal, and the above-described problem is solved.

However, this method has a problem that dedicated hardware for superimposing data on a video signal needs to be provided on the computer device side. That is, this method has a problem that it is not suitable as an interface between a general-purpose computer device and a display device.

Further, for example, a method of performing communication using a DC level of a video signal has been proposed. in this way,
The control target can directly use analog video signals,
There is a problem that the items are limited to special items.
That is, this method is not practical in a system having various types of control targets.

In the method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-204167, the display device is controlled by operating the keyboard on the computer device. For many users, inputting commands by typing on a keyboard is a cumbersome and complicated task, and there is a need for a GUI that enables the use of other input devices such as a mouse, which can perform input tasks intuitively. Was.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a display method and apparatus, and a communication method and apparatus, in which font data used for OSD display can be easily added to an OSD function built in a display apparatus. Is to do.

[0032]

According to the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus for supplying a video signal to a display device having a built-in OSD function. Means and a display device to which a video signal output from the video signal output means is supplied.
And a font specification unit for transmitting a font specification command for specifying a font used for the display to the display device.

Further, the present invention provides an information processing method for supplying a video signal to a display device having a built-in OSD function.
A font designation step of transmitting a font designation command for designating a font used for the OSD in the display device to which the video signal output in the video signal output step is supplied to the display device. Information processing method.

According to the present invention, in an information processing apparatus for supplying a video signal to a display device having a built-in OSD function, a video signal output means for outputting a video signal, and a video signal output from the video signal output means are provided. And a font data transmitting unit for transmitting font data used for the OSD in the display device supplied with the font data to the display device.

According to the present invention, in an information processing method for supplying a video signal to a display device having a built-in OSD function, a video signal output step of outputting a video signal;
Transmitting font data used for the OSD in the display device to which the video signal output in the video signal output step is supplied to the display device, to the display device. It is.

According to the present invention, there is provided a display device having a built-in OSD function for displaying a video signal supplied from an information processing apparatus, wherein the display means displays the video signal supplied from the information processing apparatus. OSD means for performing display by OSD on the display means, and receiving means for receiving a font designation command, which is transmitted from the information processing apparatus and designates a font to be used for OSD display by the OSD means. The display device is characterized in that a font used for display by the OSD is switched based on a font designation command received by the receiving means.

According to the present invention, in a display method having a built-in OSD function for displaying a video signal supplied from an information processing device, the video signal supplied from the information processing device is displayed on a display means. Display steps;
An OSD step of performing display by the OSD on the display means, and a receiving step of receiving a font designation command, which is transmitted from the information processing apparatus and designates a font to be used for display by the OSD in the OSD step, And a font used for display by the OSD is switched based on a font designation command received in the receiving step.

According to the present invention, there is provided a display device having a built-in OSD function for displaying a video signal supplied from an information processing apparatus, wherein the display means displays the video signal supplied from the information processing apparatus. OSD means for displaying on the display means by the OSD, receiving means for receiving font data transmitted from the information processing apparatus and used for display by the OSD means, and font received by the receiving means And a memory for storing data.

According to the present invention, in a display method having a built-in OSD function for displaying a video signal supplied from an information processing device, the video signal supplied from the information processing device is displayed on a display means. Display steps;
An OSD step of performing display by the OSD on the display means, a reception step of receiving font data used for display by the OSD in the OSD step transmitted from the information processing apparatus, and a reception step. Storing the selected font data in a memory.

As described above, according to the first and sixth aspects of the present invention, a font designation command for designating a font used for an OSD in a display device to which a video signal is supplied is transmitted to the display device. Therefore, the display device can change the font used for the OSD based on the font designation command.

According to the seventh and twelfth aspects of the present invention, the font data used for the OSD in the display device to which the video signal is supplied is transmitted to the display device. Then, font data used for the OSD can be added.

Further, the invention according to claims 13 and 18 is characterized in that the OSD means transmits an O.D.
Since a font designation command for designating a font used in the display by the SD is received and the font used in the display by the OSD is switched based on the received font designation command, the OSD is used by the information processing apparatus.
You can switch the font used for.

According to the present invention, the font data used for display by the OSD is received, and the received font data is stored in the memory. Font data can be added from the information processing device side.

[0044]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of usage of a computer device 1 and a display device 2 for projecting a video signal output from the computer device 1. A keyboard 3 and a mouse 4 are connected as input devices to the computer device 1, and key information output from the keyboard 3 and button press information and mouse movement amount data output from the mouse 4 are supplied to the computer device 1. Is done. Note that button press information and mouse movement data output from the mouse 4 are
Hereinafter, they are collectively referred to as mouse information.

Computer device 1 and display device 2
Are connected by cable, and the video signal and the horizontal and vertical synchronization signals output from the computer device 1 are supplied to the display device 2 via the cable. Based on the video signal and the horizontal and vertical synchronization signals, a predetermined display is performed on the display area 5 of the display device 2 according to, for example, the frequency and resolution of the video signal. As a display device of the display device 2, for example, a CRT (Cathode Ray
Tube) or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

In the display area 5, a cursor 7 for indicating a position on the screen displayed in the display area 5 is displayed based on mouse information (mouse movement data) output from the mouse 4. For example, the user moves the cursor 4 within the display area 5 by moving the mouse 4 and presses a button provided on the mouse 4 at a predetermined position based on the display on the display area 5 to thereby display the corresponding button on the screen. A desired function defined in the position can be realized.

Further, in the display area 5, the OSD 8 can be displayed in a predetermined manner. The display device 2 includes:
For example, an operation button 6 is provided on a front panel. OSD
For example, the OSD 8 is displayed in a predetermined area in the display area 5 by operating the operation button 6 in a predetermined manner.
The user can adjust the display of the display area 5 by operating the operation buttons 6 in a predetermined manner while watching the OSD 8. The OSD 8 is displayed on the foreground in preference to other displays displayed on the display area 5.

FIG. 2 schematically shows an example of the configuration of the computer device 1. Two buses 10A and 10B are provided. The bus 10A includes a CPU for performing arithmetic processing and the like.
(Central Processing Unit) 11 is a CPU bus 10 to which it is connected. The bus 10B is a CPU address bus. Each of the buses 10A and 10B has an I / O unit 1
2, graphic unit 13, sound unit 14, memory 16
And a hard disk drive 17 (hereinafter, HDD 17)
Is abbreviated). The memory 16 is, for example, a CP
Used as work memory for U11. The HDD 17 stores program data executed by the CPU 11 and other data.

Other devices 15 can be connected to the buses 10A and 10B. Each unit configured in the computer device 1 communicates with each other via buses 10A and 10B.

The keyboard 3 and the mouse 4 are connected to the I / O unit 12, and control information of these connected devices is obtained. The key information output from the keyboard 3 and the mouse information output from the mouse 4 are
/ O unit 12 and CPU 11 via CPU 10A.
Supplied to

The graphic section 13 generates a video signal and a synchronization signal based on a command from the CPU 11.
The generated video signal and synchronization signal are output from the computer device 1 and supplied to, for example, the display device 2. The generated video signal includes, for example, in the case of color display, image data of three channels of each color of RGB, and vertical and horizontal synchronization signals VS and HS. According to the present invention, data can be superimposed on an output video signal.

The output format of the video signal by the graphic unit 13 may be an analog signal or a digital signal. The video signal output as an analog signal is
It is suitable for a display device 2 using, for example, a CRT as a display device. On the other hand, a video signal output as a digital signal is suitable for a display device 2 using, for example, an LCD as a display device. When a video signal is output as a digital signal, the above-described RG
B image data of each color and horizontal and vertical synchronization signals VS, H
In addition to S, each signal necessary for display control by a digital signal, for example, a digital clock DCLK and a data enable signal DE are output.

The sound section 14 generates and outputs an analog audio signal in accordance with a command from the CPU 11. The output audio signal is supplied to a speaker or headphones and reproduced.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the display device 2 corresponding to the input of an analog video signal.
For example, among the image output signals output from the computer device 1, the video signal RGB is input to the terminal 29, and the vertical synchronizing signal VS and the horizontal synchronizing signal HS are respectively input to the terminal 30.
And 31. The video signal RGB is an analog video signal composed of three primary color signals of R, G and B. The video signal RGB input to the terminal 29 is supplied to the video amplifier 25 and the video data decoder 20. The vertical and horizontal synchronization signals VS and HS input to the terminals 30 and 31 are applied to the video data decoder 20,
It is supplied to an OSD generator (OSD GEN) 22 and a deflection control circuit 26.

On the other hand, the control signal output from the adjustment switch 24 provided on the front panel of the display device 2 is supplied to the microprocessor 23. Although not shown, the microprocessor 23 is connected to, for example, a memory in which programs and data necessary for the microprocessor 23 to perform a predetermined operation are stored in advance. Various control signals and data output from the microprocessor 23 are supplied to the video data decoder 20, the OSD generator 22, the video amplifier 25, and the deflection control circuit 26, respectively.

The USB terminal 200 can be omitted in this embodiment.

When a control signal for instructing, for example, display screen adjustment is supplied to the microprocessor 23 based on the operation of the adjustment switch 24, the microprocessor 23 sends an OD signal to the OSD generator 22.
An instruction command for instructing generation of an OSD character for SD display is issued. Although details will be described later, the OS
The generator 22 has a memory inside,
EPROM (Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory)
89 is connected, and font data used for displaying the OSD 8 is stored in these memories. EEPROM8
In No. 9, font data supplied from the outside can be stored. The OSD generator 22 uses the font data and the like stored in these memories, and generates an OSD video signal that can display a control screen in accordance with the content indicated by the instruction command supplied from the microprocessor 23. This OSD video signal is, for example, RG
Each of the video signals B and the OSD blanking signal is supplied to the video amplifier 25.

As described above, the computer device 1 can superimpose data on a video signal and output it. In the video data decoder 20, data superimposed by the computer device 1 is decoded from the video signal. The decoding result is supplied to the microprocessor 23. Although details will be described later, the video data decoder 2
At 0, a blanking signal is output according to the decoding result of the data superimposed on the video signal. This blanking signal is supplied to the video amplifier 25.

On the other hand, in the timing controller 21,
Vertical and horizontal deflection signals are generated based on the vertical and horizontal synchronization signals VS and HS. The generated vertical and horizontal deflection signals are supplied to the deflection control circuit 26. Further, the timing controller 21 generates a timing signal for displaying the OSD 8 based on the vertical and horizontal synchronization signals VS and HS. This timing signal is
It is supplied to the SD generator 22.

The video signal RGB supplied to the video amplifier 25 and the OSD output from the OSD generator 22
The display signal and the blanking signal output from the video data decoder 20 are synthesized and output in a predetermined manner under the control of the microprocessor 23, and output as a CRT (Cathode R).
ay Tube) 28. Also, the deflection control circuit 26
Is connected to the terminal 30 based on the control of the microprocessor 23.
And 31 supplied vertical and horizontal synchronizing signals VS
And HS to generate vertical and horizontal deflection signals. The vertical and horizontal deflection signals are supplied to a deflection yoke DY27. In the CRT 28, the electron beam is controlled by the vertical and horizontal deflection signals supplied to the deflection yoke DY27, and a predetermined screen display is performed.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of the video data decoder 20. A video signal RGB consisting of signals of three channels (respectively, a signal R, a signal G, and a signal B) corresponding to each color of R, G, and B is supplied to the level shift circuit 35, and the signal level is shifted to a predetermined level. . The video signal is, for example, 0.7 V to 5 V, 3.3 V,
It is converted to a digital interface level, such as 2.7V, so that it can be processed by a logic circuit. Among the signals output from the level shift circuit 35, the data signal is supplied to terminals D1 and D2, respectively, and the clock signal is supplied to the clock terminals of the decoder 36 and the latch circuit 37. In this example, the level shift circuit 3
Among the video signals RGB output from 5, the signals R and G are each data signals, and the signal B is a clock signal.

The data and the enable signal obtained by decoding the signals R and G by the decoder 36 are supplied to the data terminal D and the enable terminal EN of the latch circuit 37, respectively. For example, from the computer device 1,
When data for controlling the display device 2 is supplied to the display device 2 while being superimposed on the video signal, a code and data corresponding to a control item for the display device 2 are decoded by the decoder 36. The decoded data is output simultaneously with the enable signal output according to the decoded code. The enable signal is actually a pulse that is output by the number of codes to be decoded, and the enable terminal EN of the latch circuit 37 is also present by the corresponding number.

The data decoded and output by the decoder 36 is supplied to a latch circuit 37, latched by an enable signal, and held by the latch circuit 37.
The held data is read by the microprocessor 23 and used as control data for the display device 2.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the timing in each section of FIG. 4 described above. FIG. 5A shows the horizontal synchronization signal HS.
FIGS. 5B and 5C show signals B and R constituting a video signal.
And G and the clock and data embedded in G.
The data communication period is provided in an effective display area of one horizontal cycle.

As shown in FIG. 5B, a dot clock representing an interval of one dot of a display image is embedded in the signal B. For example, a dot clock is 1 if a video signal for displaying a resolution of 1024 dots × 768 dots.
The clock frequency is set to about 00 MHz. The dot clock is embedded corresponding to the data communication period during one horizontal cycle. In the example of FIG. 5, 40 dot clocks are continuously embedded in one horizontal cycle, and the data communication period is 40 dots.

On the other hand, control signals and control data are embedded in signals R and G. In this example, the control code is an address of a register in the microprocessor 23 of the display device 2 in this example in which data for display control is embedded in the video signal and sent. For example, one register is assigned to each item to be display-controlled, and control data is written to the register indicated by the control code.
Under the control of the microprocessor 23, control items corresponding to the registers are controlled according to the data values written to the registers, and display adjustment is performed.

In FIG. 5C, for example, a control code is arranged following a start bit having a predetermined pattern, and a parity bit corresponding to the control code is arranged after the control. Subsequently, control data is arranged, and a parity bit corresponding to the control data is arranged after the control data. After the parity bit of the control data, for example, a stop bit having a predetermined pattern is arranged to indicate the end of data communication within one horizontal cycle, that is, one line.

In the example of FIG. 5, a 16-dot clock is assigned to each of the control code and control data in one line, and two bytes can be transmitted using one dot clock as one bit. For example, data can be superimposed as a signal for turning ON / OFF a pixel for each dot. In the example of FIG. 5C, the 2-byte data “0” is used as the control code.
x0006 "and 2-byte data" 0x0080 "as control data are superimposed on signals R and G and transmitted. Note that “0xXXXXXX” indicates that the “XXXX” part is in hexadecimal notation with two digits.

The start bit and the stop bit are
It can be composed of data of at least one clock.
For example, {R, G} = {0, 0} Such a pattern can be considered. In practice, it is preferable to use data for several clocks as start bits to avoid being confused with image data. For example, as an example of allocating 8 clocks to the start bit, {R [7], G [7]} = {1,0,1,0,1,0,1,1
0}, {0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0} Such a pattern is conceivable. By using data of several clocks as start and stop bits, the reliability of determination can be improved.

The start bit and the stop bit may be different patterns using, for example, two screens, and the start bit and the stop bit may be determined after the data for the two screens has been prepared. This determination can be made by storing one of the data in a memory or the like.

As described above, data is superimposed on a video signal with redundant bits such as a start bit, a stop bit, and a parity bit added, and transmitted. For example, in a video signal output from the computer device 1,
If image data having the same pattern as the communication protocol for the data communication exists, a communication error may occur. By transmitting data with a redundant bit added, it is possible to avoid this communication error.

The dot clock, control code and control data shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C are embedded in the video signal RGB on the computer 1 side as described above. At this time, the dot clock, the control code, and the control data are embedded in the video signal as image data to be displayed on the display area 5 of the display device 2.

For example, referring to FIG. 2, when the CPU 11 generates a display control signal for instructing the display device 2 to display an image, the data to be embedded at an arbitrary position in the display area 5 is the same as that described above. Display control signals, such as red (R) and / or
Alternatively, it is inserted as binary bitmap data in green (G). As an example, if the image data is R, G, B
When each color is represented by 8 bits, the image data with the value 0 represents the bit value “0” and the image data with the value 255 represents the bit value “1”.

The dot clock is, for example, a CPU
11 obtains resolution information and horizontal frequency information from display settings in the computer device 1 and obtains the resolution information and horizontal frequency information based on the obtained resolution information and horizontal frequency information.
The obtained dot clock is inserted as a display control signal, for example, binary bitmap data in blue (B), corresponding to the above-described data embedding section, similarly to the above-described data embedding.

Here, it is assumed that data is superimposed on signals R and G and dot clock is superimposed on signal B, but this combination is not limited to this.

Returning to the description of FIG. 5, the signals R and G on which the control code and control data are superimposed as shown in FIG. 5C are supplied to the decoder 36. Decoder 3
In 6, the start bit and the stop bit are determined based on the bit clock superimposed on the signal B of the video signal as shown in FIG. 5B, and the space between the start bit and the stop bit is decoded. The decoded control code and control data are subjected to parity check using the respective parity bits, and the decoder 36 at the timing shown in FIG. 5D.
Output from

Data decoded by decoder 36 and output (control code and control data)
Is input to the terminal D of the latch circuit 37. Also, enable signals indicating the sections of the decoded control code and control data are supplied to the decoder 36, respectively.
Is generated and output. FIG. 5E shows an example of the enable signal. In this example, when the enable signal is in the “H” state,
The validity period of the data is indicated. The enable signal is supplied to an enable terminal EN of the latch circuit 37. The data supplied to the terminal D of the latch circuit 37 is latched by the enable signal input to the enable terminal EN, converted into serial data, and output. The output serial data is supplied to the microprocessor 23.

The decoder 36 generates a blanking signal corresponding to a period from when the start bit is determined to when the stop bit is determined.
FIG. 5F shows an example of a blanking signal. In this example,
The above-described period is indicated when the blanking signal is in the “H” state. The blanking signal is supplied to the video amplifier 25.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the OSD generator 22 according to the present invention. OSD generator 22
Has a configuration in which a font RAM 86 and an EEPROM 89 are added to the OSD generator 319 described in the related art.

For the register bus 80, the PLL 81,
Serial bus I / F82, code RAM (Random Access)
Memory) 83 and a timing controller 84 are connected. For the font bus 88, a timing controller 84, a font ROM (Read Only Memory) 85,
A font RAM 86 and a color generator (color GEN) 87 are connected.

Further, the font bus 88 has an EEP
The ROM 89 is connected. In the example of FIG. 6, E
Although it has been described that the EPROM 89 is provided outside the OSD generator 22, this is not limited to this example. The EEPROM 89 may be incorporated in the OSD generator 22. Further, the font ROM 85 and the font RAM 86 may be used in a configuration external to the OS generator 22.

The font ROM 85 stores font data, that is, bitmap data corresponding to character data for the OSD 8 in advance. On the other hand, the font RAM 86 and the EEPROM 89 store the additional font data supplied from the computer device 1. The EEPROM 89 is a non-volatile memory capable of electrically erasing stored contents.
It is held even if it is set to FF. On the other hand, the font RAM 86
Is a volatile memory, whose stored contents are lost when the power is turned off or the like. Therefore, the font RAM 86 is used for temporarily storing font data. Font R
AM86 can be omitted.

FIG. 7 shows the font ROM 85 and font R
An example of font data stored in the AM 86 and the EEPROM 89 is shown. This is an example of font data for displaying the character “M”. The font data is, for example, bitmap data in which the vertical direction is the word direction, the horizontal direction is the bit direction, the black part in the figure is represented by a bit value “1”, and the white frame part is represented by a bit value “0”. For example, it is stored in the font ROM 85.

In such a configuration, the instruction command output from the microprocessor 23 is the OS
Serial bus I / F8 as serial data for D control
2 is received. This serial data is decoded by the serial bus I / F 82 and written into a control register (not shown) for controlling each block of the OSD generator 22. Writing data to the control register and reading data from the control register are performed via the register bus 80.

The horizontal synchronizing signal HS input from the terminal 31 of the display device 2 is also supplied to the PLL 81. P
The clock required for the OSD 8 is generated by the LL 81 in synchronization with the horizontal synchronization signal HS.

The output from the microprocessor 23
A character code for displaying the OSD 8 is input to the serial bus I / F 82, decoded, and supplied to the register bus 80. This character code is code R
It is supplied to the AM 83 and stored in the code RAM 83.
The character code stored in the code RAM 83 is O
Code data indicating characters displayed on the screen of SD8;
It consists of coordinate data where the character is displayed.

Terminals 30 and 31 of display device 2
Are supplied to the timing controller 84. Timing control is performed by the timing controller 84 based on the vertical and horizontal synchronization signals VS and HS and control data supplied from the microprocessor 23 via the serial bus I / F 82 and the register bus 80.
From 83, the code data of the font for displaying the OSD 8 is read. Based on the code data, font data is read from the font ROM 85, the font RAM 86, and the EEPROM 89 via the font bus 88, and supplied to the color generator 87.

The timing is controlled by the timing controller 84, and the coordinate data for displaying the font for displaying the OSD 8 is read from the code RAM 83. The read coordinate data is stored in the font bus 8
8 to a color generator 87.

In the color generator 87, color data and transmission data are added to the font data supplied via the font bus 88. The font data to which the color data and the transmission data are added is based on the coordinate data of the font display.
And OSD8 blanking pulse OSD_Blan
King is supplied to the video amplifier 25.

A process for storing additional font data in the above-described EEPROM 89 and / or font RAM 86 will be described. The font data to be added is superimposed on the video signal RGB supplied from the computer device 1 to the display device 2 and transferred.
On the computer device 1 side, in addition to the font data,
Display device 2 by superimposing various data on video signal
Can be forwarded to. Therefore, the display device 2 needs to determine what the transferred data is.

As described above, data superimposed on the video signal RGB from the computer device 1 and transmitted includes, for example, a control code and control data of 2 bytes each and redundant bits attached thereto. FIG. 8 shows a more specific example of the control code and the control data. For the control code, the category code is MSB and the control code is LS
Classification is performed using 2 bytes of B. In FIG. 8, “0xx” indicates that “XX” is in hexadecimal notation.

The type of data to be transferred is indicated by a one-byte category code. In the example of FIG. 8, the category codes “0x00” to “0x1F” indicate that the additional font data is transferred. Here, the category code “0”
“x00” to “0x0F” indicate the transfer of the font data stored in the EEPROM 89, and the category code “0x1”
“0” to “0x1F” indicate transfer of font data stored in the font RAM 86. The font data is transferred as control data.

For example, if the category code is EEPROM8
9 and the font data written in the font RAM 86. By specifying a category code at the time of reading, a predetermined character can be read.

For example, if the character string “mail arrival” is O
When trying to display as SD8, font ROM
If only “me” and “ru” are registered in 85, it is necessary to add the remaining font data. The font data to be added is EEPRO as described above.
M89 and / or stored in the font RAM 86,
be registered.

At this time, as shown in FIG.
Font ROM 85, Font RAM 86 and EEP
The font ROM 85, the font RAM 86, and the EEPROM
It is preferable to store font data in M89. By doing so, the font ROM 85, font RAM
The memory spaces of the memory 86 and the EEPROM 89 can be handled as if they were the same memory space. Therefore, the code RAM is used for the registered font data.
83, “0x30, 0x00, 0x40, 0x10, 0x1” as address information in which font data is stored.
By writing “1”, font RO
Address information is specified for the M85, the font RAM 86, and the EEPROM 89. And font R
OM85, font RAM86 and EEPROM89
, The font data is read out in the order in which the address information is specified, and "Mail arrival" can be displayed.

On the other hand, the category code “0x20” indicates that a PC event which is a communication code for the status of the computer 1 is transferred. The status code in the computer device 1 is indicated by the control code combined with the category code “0x20”. In the example of FIG. 8, a control code "0x00" indicates that an electronic mail has been received via the communication means (not shown), and a recording operation in the computer device 1 is performed with the control code "0x01". It shows what was done.

The category code “0x30” indicates that control data for adjusting the display of the display device 2 is transferred. Each adjustment item for the display device 2 is designated by the control code as shown in the corresponding item. The control code indicates a set value for each adjustment item. Default values are defined for these setting values.

As described above, since the data can be superimposed on the video signal RGB and transmitted from the computer apparatus 1 to the display apparatus 2 for communication, for example, the category code “0x30” shown in FIG. As described above, by transmitting a control code and control data for display adjustment from the computer apparatus 1 to the display apparatus 2, the display adjustment of the display apparatus 2 can be performed on the computer apparatus 1. At this time, for example, a display device adjustment screen is displayed on the display device 2 by the computer device 1, and a predetermined operation is performed on the screen using the keyboard 3 and the mouse 4. And the transmission of the input value from the computer device 1 to the display device 2 is controlled.

Further, in the present invention, the computer 1
It is possible to easily add font data used for displaying the OSD 8 on the display device 2 by using data communication superimposed on a video signal to the display device 2 and screen display by the computer device 1. .

For example, the computer device 1 displays a font selection screen for selecting font data to be added to the display device 2. By the user,
Using input devices such as a keyboard 3 and a mouse 4,
When the font data to be added to the display device 2 is selected based on the display of the font selection screen, the computer device 1 transmits the selected additional font data to the display device 2. The additional font data is transmitted from the computer device 1 to the display device 2 using, for example, data communication superimposed on the video signal RGB described above.

In the display device 2, the additional font data is decoded from the received video signal RGB by the video data decoder 20, and the decoded additional font data is stored in, for example, the EEPROM 89. The EEPROM is used by the OSD generator 22.
By reading the additional font data stored in 89, the display using the additional font data in the OSD 8 becomes possible.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the font selection screen 60. The font selection screen 60 is displayed, for example, by performing a predetermined operation on the display adjustment screen described above. More specifically, an application for adjusting the display of the display device 2 is started in the computer device 1. The display adjustment application is stored in advance in, for example, the HDD 17 of the computer device 1,
The data is read from the HDD 17 under the control of the PU 11, loaded onto the memory 16, and executed. When the display adjustment application is started, the CPU 11 generates a display control signal for displaying a predetermined display screen. The display control signal is supplied to the graphic unit 13, output as a video signal and supplied to the display 2, and a predetermined display screen is displayed on the display area 5 in accordance with the display control signal.

With respect to the displayed predetermined display screen,
By performing a predetermined operation using the keyboard 3 and the mouse 4, an application for selecting and transmitting a font is activated. The font selection screen 60 is displayed by the application for selecting and transmitting the font. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and an application for performing display adjustment may further display the font selection screen 60.

The display adjustment application and the font selection and transmission application are, for example, initially CD-R
The display adjustment application and the font selection and transmission application recorded as program data in the OM or the like and recorded on a CD-ROM by a CD-ROM drive (not shown) may be read and stored in the HDD 17. The recording medium on which the display adjustment application font selection and transmission application is recorded is not limited to a CD-ROM. Further, without using a recording medium, it is also possible to obtain from an external network such as the Internet via communication means (not shown) connected to the computer device 1 and store it in the HDD 17.

In the display area 61 of the font selection screen 60, a default language corresponding to the font data stored in the font ROM 85 in the display device 2 is displayed. In the example of FIG. 10, “En
glish "," French "," German ",
“Portuguese”, “Italian” and “Espanol” are the default languages. For example, by selecting one of the radio buttons R provided in the display area 61, a font for displaying a language corresponding to the display beside the selected radio button R is displayed on the OSD 8 in the display device 2. Specified in the font data.

On the other hand, on the font selection screen 60, a language in which font data can be added to the display device 2 is displayed as an optional language in the display area 62.
In the example of FIG. 10, each of the languages “Japanese”, “Korean”, “Chinese” and “Taiwan” is set as the optional language. That is, initially, the font ROM 85, the font RAM 86, and the EEPROM
M89 does not store font data for displaying these languages. By selecting one of the radio buttons R provided in the display area 62, the font for displaying the language corresponding to the display beside the selected radio button R is transmitted from the computer apparatus 1 to the display apparatus 2. Sent.

The transmission of the font data from the computer device 1 to the display device 2 is performed by the above-described method while being superimposed within the video display period of the video signal RGB transmitted from the computer device 1 to the display device 2. . In this embodiment, the font selection screen 6
0, a data communication area 63 is provided, and font data is transmitted within a period corresponding to the data communication area 63 of the video signal RGB. The font data superimposed on the video signal RGB is displayed as a dot display 64 on one or more lines in the data communication area 63, for example, as shown in an example in FIG. In addition, as shown in FIG.
The data transfer rate can be increased by superimposing data using a plurality of lines.

The font selection screen 60 is controlled by the computer 1 so as to be displayed in the foreground, prior to other images displayed in the display area 5 of the display device 2. Since the dot display 64 itself displayed in the data communication area 63 of the font selection screen 60 is data to be communicated, if the dot display 64 is hidden by another screen in the computer device 1, the communication is performed. This is because the data will be different.

If the OSD 8 of the display device 2 is compatible with multiple languages, a large amount of font data is required, and a large-capacity font ROM 85 is required. Therefore, in this embodiment, "Japanese", "Korean", "Chinese"
And each language of “Taiwan” is optional, and font data for displaying these languages is stored in, for example, the HDD 17 of the computer device 1. Only when one of the optional languages is selected, the font data corresponding to the selected optional language is stored in the HDD.
17 is superimposed on the video signal RGB and transmitted to the display device 2. For example, simultaneous display of Japanese and Korean by the OSD 8 is not normally performed, and thus the capacity of the font ROM 85 can be saved by adding it to the EEPROM 89 as an option.

In the example of FIG. 11, the display is not erased by the data superimposed on the video signal by the blanking signal. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the example of FIG. 11, and a blanking signal may be generated corresponding to the superimposed data period, and the display by the data superimposed on the video signal may be deleted. At the time of the erasing by the blanking signal, for example, the background color data of the font selection screen 60 is obtained, and the data of the dot display 64 can be replaced with the obtained color data. The color data to be replaced is not limited to the background color of the font selection screen 60, but may be another color. In addition, based on the blanking signal, the display device 2 uses the OSD
For example, display data such as “communicating” may be generated by the generator 22 and may be displayed prior to the display of the data communication area 63.

Next, the process of adding font data as described above will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in the computer device 1. Here, a predetermined operation is performed on the screen for display adjustment by the display adjustment application, so that the font selection screen 6 is displayed.
It is assumed that 0 is displayed. First, in step S10,
The display adjustment application is started, a display control signal is generated by the CPU 11 so as to display a screen for display adjustment in the display area 5 of the display device 2, and the display control signal is supplied to the graphic unit 13. A video signal RGB for displaying a screen for display adjustment by the graphic unit 13 based on the supplied display control signal.
Is output.

In the next step S11, it is determined whether or not an adjustment operation based on the display adjustment screen, that is, data input by the keyboard 3 or the mouse 4 has been performed. If it is determined that there is no adjustment operation, the process proceeds to step S
Move to 19.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S11 that an adjustment operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the control code and control data corresponding to the adjustment data input by the adjustment operation are acquired by the CPU 11 from the display adjustment application. Then, in step S13, the adjustment state by the computer device 1 is acquired based on the input control code and control data.

The adjustment operation is performed by the OSD 8 of the display device 2.
In the case of switching the font used in (1), for example, font switching is indicated by a control code (hereinafter, font switching code), and the font to be switched is indicated by control data. The distinction of each language as described above is indicated by the control data.

In step S14, it is determined whether or not the adjustment state by the computer 1 obtained in step S13 is for selecting an optional language. This determination is made, for example, with reference to FIG.
x30 "and control data" 0x08 ". If it is determined that the adjustment state by the computer device 1 does not select the optional language, the process proceeds to step S16.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S14 that the adjustment state of the computer device 1 is for selecting the optional language, the process proceeds to step S15.

For example, in step S14, an adjustment item "language switching" is selected on the display adjustment screen.
A control code indicating "language switching" is obtained, a font selection screen 60 is displayed, and an optional language is selected. Font data, as described above,
Obtained as control data. Step S15
Then, the font data of the selected optional language is read from the HDD 17, for example.

In the next step S16, the start bit, stop bit and parity for preventing a communication error are included in the control code and control data input on the display adjustment screen and the font data selected on the font selection screen 60. Redundant bits such as bits are added, and data to be transmitted from the computer device 1 to the display device 2 is prepared. When the transmission data is prepared, the transmission data is superimposed on the video signal RGB in the computer device 1 so that the transmission data is displayed in the display area 63 of the font selection screen 60, for example.

At this time, the font selection screen 60
Is controlled so that the cursor 7 is not displayed in the display area 63 of.

When the transmission of the transmission data in step S16 is completed, it is determined in next step S17 whether the display device 2 has notified that the communication has been completed. If it is determined that there is no communication completion notification from the display device 2 even after the data transmission by the computer device 1 ends, it is determined that a communication error has occurred between the computer device 1 and the display device 2,
In step S18, a communication error message is displayed.

On the other hand, if it is notified from the display device 2 that the communication has been completed in step S17, the process proceeds to step S19. In step S19, it is determined whether the display adjustment application has been terminated. If it is determined that the application has been terminated, a series of processing is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the application has not been terminated, the process returns to step S11.

If the computer device 1 and the display device 2 are not configured to perform bidirectional communication using, for example, a USB, which will be described later, the above-described determination processing in step S17 is omitted, and the processing proceeds to step S17. The process moves from step S16 to step S19. in this case,
The notification that a communication error has occurred is made, for example, by displaying the OSD 8 on the display device 2.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the display device 2 corresponding to the processing of FIG. In the first step S30, it is determined whether a control code indicating font switching has been received from the computer device 1. This is a process corresponding to step S16 described above. If the transmission data transmitted in step S16 includes a control code (hereinafter, font switching code) indicating “language switching”, the current display device 2 It is determined that the font used in OSD 8 is switched to another font, and the process proceeds to step S31. If it is determined that the font switching code is not included, a series of processing ends.

At step S31, the computer 1
The microprocessor 23 compares the font indicated by the font switching code transmitted from the CPU with the font currently used in the OSD 8 of the display device 2 to determine whether the font is changed by the font switching code. If it is determined that the font indicated on the basis of the font switching code is the same as the font used in the OSD 8, the process proceeds to step S38 assuming that the font is not changed, and there is no change in the font data. This is displayed by the OSD 8, and a series of processing is completed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S31 that the font data has been changed, the process proceeds to step S32, where it is determined whether or not the font indicated based on the font switching code is a font for displaying an optional language. You. If it is determined that the font is not a font for displaying the optional language, the process proceeds to step S36. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S32 that the font indicated based on the font switching code is a font for displaying the optional language, the process proceeds to step S33.

In step S32, for example, when "Chinese" is selected on the font selection screen 60, it is determined that the optional language has been selected, and the process proceeds to step S33. When "French" is selected on the font selection screen 60, the font of the selected language is stored in the font ROM 85 by default and is not an optional language. , The process proceeds to step S36.

When the optional language is selected, the font data for displaying the selected language is superimposed on the video signal RGB from the computer device 1 to the display device 2 and transmitted one after another. The font data is decoded from the received video signal RGB by the video data decoder 20 (step S3).
3). The decoded font data is supplied to the OSD generator 22 and stored in the EEPROM 89 in a predetermined manner (step S34). If the transmitted font data is temporary data that is used only until the power of the display device 2 is turned off, the font data may be stored in the font RAM 86.

At the next step S35, it is determined whether or not all the transmitted font data has been received. If it is determined that all the font data has not been received even after the communication has been completed, the process proceeds to step S37, where the OSD 8 displays that a communication error has occurred at the time of receiving the font data. Is completed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S35 that all the transmitted font data has been received, the process proceeds to step S36, in which the OSD 8 indicates that the font data has been changed, and a series of processing is performed. Is terminated.

As in the method used in this embodiment, by superimposing data on the video display section of the video signal, software for superimposing data can be created by an application of a higher hierarchy. There is an advantage that it becomes. The video signal is output from the graphic unit 13 via a hierarchical structure as shown in FIG.

That is, when drawing an application in the display area 5, the application of the upper layer has a higher API (Application Program) that the application of the upper layer has.
The ng Interface) 70 accesses the graphic device interface as the driver 71, and a drawing command is supplied to the driver 71 from the upper API 70. Based on this drawing command, the driver 71 controls the graphic accelerator 72 forming the graphic unit 13 in FIG. 2 described above, and generates and outputs video signals RGB, vertical and horizontal synchronization signals VS, HS, and the like.

In such a configuration, data to be transmitted to the display device 2 is created as image data by a higher-level application using a drawing command. As a result, data is superimposed on the video signal in the video display section. Since data superimposition on a video signal according to the present invention can be handled by an application in an upper layer, a difference in software due to a difference in OS (Operating System) or the like can be reduced, and development can be facilitated. Further, since the data is embedded as image data, the graphic unit 13 does not need to have a special function for superimposing data, and a general graphic accelerator can be used as the graphic unit 13. Therefore, it is possible to easily cope with various systems.

In the above description, the display device 2 supports an analog video signal. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the present invention can be applied to a display device supporting a digital video signal. Can be applied. When the video signal is of a digital system, the data of the video signal RGB is, for example, 8 bits × 3 for one dot.
Since (R, G, B) = 24 bits, a large amount of data communication is possible as compared with a case where data is superimposed on an analog video signal.

Next, a modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In a modification of this embodiment, the computer device 1 and the display device 2
A B (Universal Serial Bus) interface is provided so that the computer device and the display device 2 can communicate with each other via USB.

Each of the computer device 1 and the display device 2 is provided with a USB interface, for example, and the computer device 1 and the display device 2 are connected by a USB cable. For example, in the computer device 1, a USB interface can be connected as another device 15. In the display device 2, in the example of FIG.
Is provided with a USB terminal 200, and the USB terminal 200 and the microprocessor 23 are connected via a USB interface (not shown). In this way, bidirectional communication can be performed between the computer device 1 and the display device 2.

In this modification, transmission of the font switching code and font data is performed by USB. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of transmitting font data using USB. The same processes as those in FIG. 13 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description will be omitted.

In this example using USB, step S3
After the font switching code is received by “0”, the adjustment state of the display device 2 is transmitted from the display device 2 to the computer device 1 in step S40.
For example, a control code indicating each adjustment item displayed on the display adjustment screen and control data corresponding to each control code are transmitted to the computer device 1 via the USB.

If it is determined in step S31 that there is no change in the font, the process proceeds to step S38 ', and the fact that there is no change in the font data is transmitted from the display device 2 to the computer device 1 via the USB. Will be notified. Further, if it is determined in step S35 that a communication error has occurred during the reception of the font data, the process proceeds to step S37 ′, and the display device 2 transmits the communication error from the display device 2 to the computer device 1. , USB. Computer device 1
Then, in response to these notifications, a display screen for displaying a predetermined message can be appropriately created and supplied to the display device 2 as a video signal RGB.

Furthermore, since the control code and control data are transmitted by USB, it is not necessary to decode the data by the video data decoder 20 in step S33 '.

Here, the communication between the computer device 1 and the display device 2 is performed by USB, but this is not limited to this example, and another communication interface may be used.

[0140]

As described above, according to the present invention, font data is transmitted from a computer to a display device, so that font data used for OSD can be added to the display device. effective.

Further, since only necessary font data can be selected and added to the display device, there is an effect that multilingual display can be performed by the OSD without increasing the capacity of the font ROM.

Further, since the font used in the OSD can be added, there is an effect that the user interface in the OSD can be improved.

Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the font data is transmitted as image data, there is an effect that the transmission of the font data can be performed by the application of the upper hierarchy.

Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, font data is transmitted as image data, so that data is transmitted using a blanking period of a video signal. There is an effect that there is no need to provide a configuration.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a usage example of an example of a case where a computer device and a display device are connected and used.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of an example of a computer device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a display device that supports input of a video signal in an analog format.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an example of a video data decoder.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing an example of timing in each section of the video data decoder.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an example of the OSD generator 22 according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows font ROM, font RAM and EEP
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of font data stored in a ROM.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a more specific example of a control code and control data.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example method of storing font data in a plurality of memories.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a font selection screen.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a font selection screen when data is superimposed on a video signal RGB and transmitted from a computer device to a display device.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for adding font data in a computer device.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the display device when adding font data.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hierarchical structure of software that outputs a video signal.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for transmitting font data using a USB.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an OSD during screen adjustment.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an example of a display device adapted to display an OSD according to the related art.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an OSD generator according to the related art in more detail.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Computer apparatus, 2 ... Display apparatus, 5 ... Display area, 6 ... Operation buttons, 7, 7
A, 7B, 7C: cursor, 8: OSD, 11
... CPU, 13 ... Graphic part, 16 ...
Memory, 17 HDD, 20 video data decoder, 21 timing controller, 22
・ OSD generator, 23 ・ ・ ・ Microprocessor, 25 ・ ・ ・ Video amplifier, 28 ・ ・ ・ CRT, 33
... Video input selector, 60 ... Font selection screen, 63 ... Data communication area, 70 ... Higher AP
I, 71: Medium API, 72: Graphic accelerator, 85: Font ROM, 86:
Font RAM, 87 ... Color generator, 88
... Font bus, 89 ... EEPROM, 200
... USB terminal

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G09G 5/377 H04N 5/445 Z H04N 5/278 G09G 5/00 520W 5/445 555D 5/36 520MF Terms (reference) 5B069 AA01 BA03 BB06 CA14 DB10 5C023 AA18 AA38 CA06 DA08 5C025 AA28 AA30 BA27 BA28 CA09 DA08 5C082 AA01 AA22 AA24 BA02 BA27 BA34 BB02 BB12 BB36 BC16 CA56 CB05 CB10 DA34 MM02

Claims (27)

[Claims] 1. An information processing apparatus for supplying a video signal to a display device having a built-in OSD function, comprising: a video signal output means for outputting a video signal; and a video signal output from the video signal output means. And a font designation unit for transmitting a font designation command for designating a font used for the OSD in the display device to the display device. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the font designation command is transmitted while being superimposed on the video signal. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the font designation command is superimposed in a video display section of the video signal. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the font designation command is superimposed within a vertical blanking period of the video signal. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the font designation command is transmitted through a different path from the video signal. 6. An information processing method for supplying a video signal to a display device having a built-in OSD function, comprising: a video signal output step of outputting a video signal; and the video signal output by the video signal output step. Transmitting a font designation command for designating a font to be used for the OSD on the display device to which the font is to be supplied to the display device. 7. An information processing apparatus for supplying a video signal to a display device having a built-in OSD function, comprising: a video signal output unit for outputting a video signal; and a video signal output from the video signal output unit. And a font data transmitting means for transmitting font data used for OSD in the display device to the display device. 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the font data is transmitted by being superimposed on the video signal. 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the font data is superimposed in a video display section of the video signal. 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the font data is superimposed within a vertical blanking period of the video signal. 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the font data is transmitted through a different path from the video signal. 12. An information processing method for supplying a video signal to a display device having a built-in OSD function, comprising: a video signal output step of outputting a video signal; and the video signal output by the video signal output step. Transmitting font data used for the OSD on the display device to which the image data is supplied, to the display device. 13. A display device having a built-in OSD function for displaying a video signal supplied from an information processing device, comprising: display means for displaying a video signal supplied from the information processing device; OSD means for performing an OSD display on the information processing apparatus, and receiving means for receiving a font designation command for designating a font to be used for display by the OSD by the OSD means, transmitted from the information processing apparatus, A display device, wherein a font used for display by the OSD is switched based on the font designation command received by the receiving means. 14. The display device according to claim 13, wherein the font designation command is transmitted by being superimposed on the video signal. 15. The display device according to claim 14, wherein the font designation command is superimposed in a video display section of the video signal. 16. The display device according to claim 14, wherein the font designation command is superimposed within a vertical blanking period of the video signal. 17. The display device according to claim 13, wherein the font designation command is transmitted through a different path from the video signal. 18. A display method which has a built-in OSD function and displays a video signal supplied from an information processing device, comprising: a display step of displaying a video signal supplied from the information processing device on a display means; An OSD step of performing an OSD display on the display means; and a reception of receiving a font designation command transmitted from the information processing apparatus, the font designation command designating a font to be used in the OSD display by the OSD step. And a font used in the display by the OSD based on the font designation command received in the receiving step. 19. A display device having a built-in OSD function for displaying a video signal supplied from an information processing device, a display means for displaying a video signal supplied from the information processing device, and the display device OSD means for displaying by OSD with respect to, receiving means for receiving font data transmitted from the information processing apparatus and used for display by OSD in the OSD means, and receiving by the receiving means A display device, comprising: a memory for storing the font data. 20. The display device according to claim 19, wherein the font data is transmitted while being superimposed on the video signal. 21. The display device according to claim 20, wherein the font data is superimposed in a video display section of the video signal. 22. The display device according to claim 20, wherein the font data is superimposed within a vertical blanking period of the video signal. 23. The display device according to claim 19, wherein the font data is transmitted through a different path from the video signal. 24. The display device according to claim 19, wherein the memory is a volatile memory. 25. The display device according to claim 19, wherein the memory is a non-volatile memory capable of electrically erasing stored contents. 26. The display device according to claim 19, wherein the memory comprises a volatile first memory and a non-volatile second memory, and wherein the OSD means operates the OSD means.
A read-only third memory in which the font data used in the display by D is stored in advance, wherein one of the first memory, the second memory, and the third memory is one memory A display device characterized in that an address is configured as follows. 27. A display method which has a built-in OSD function and displays a video signal supplied from an information processing device, comprising: a display step of displaying a video signal supplied from the information processing device on a display means; An OSD step of performing an OSD display on the display unit; and a receiving step of receiving font data used for display by the OSD in the OSD step transmitted from the information processing apparatus; Storing the font data received in the receiving step in a memory.