JP2005115107A - Display processing apparatus, navigation system, program, and display processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable appropriate setting of the startup time in a car navigation system etc. <P>SOLUTION: The display processing apparatus is equipped with a VRAM which has a region for display and a region for storage and in which screen display in a display device is performed by the image written to the region for display using the data in the region for storage and a control means which transfers the data used for display of the various screens to the region for storage of the VRAM and performs display of the various screens by performing writing to the region for display by using the transferred data. The apparatus performs display of the opening screen at the time of turning on a power source. The apparatus is so constituted that the transfer of the data to the storage region is performed during the display of the opening screen relating to a portion of the data used for displaying the various screens (steps 13 and 14) and relating to the other untransferred data, the display is performed after the opening screen is switched to the ordinary screen (steps 15 to 19). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a display processing device, a navigation device, a program, and a display processing method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a car navigation system or the like, an opening screen is displayed without accepting an operation input for a certain period immediately after power is turned on, and then an operation input is accepted after shifting to a normal screen display. Then, while displaying the opening screen, the bitmap data necessary for displaying the normal screen is transferred to the VRAM, and the bitmap data is used to draw the VRAM display area so that the normal display on the monitor is performed. The screen is displayed.

  FIG. 2 shows components related to display processing for displaying a screen on a monitor in a car navigation system or the like. In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a ROM that stores a control program, fonts used for image display, bitmap files, and the like. Reference numeral 22 denotes an operation control of each part of the apparatus and an access control of the ROM 21 according to the program in the ROM 21. A microcomputer 23 is a VRAM having a display area corresponding to the display screen on the monitor and a storage area for storing drawing data and bitmap data, and 24 is a display of the VRAM 23 based on a command from the control microcomputer 22. This is a graphic LSI that displays a screen on a monitor by drawing in a work area. The graphic LSI 24 is an element specialized for drawing processing, and also performs access control for the VRAM 23.

  FIG. 3 shows a conventional procedure of start-up processing related to screen display after power-on. When the system is started by turning on the power (step 31), first, an opening screen is displayed (step 32). That is, the control microcomputer 22 reads the opening screen bitmap file from the ROM 21 and transfers it to the graphic LSI 24. The graphic LSI 24 stores the transferred bitmap file in a designated area in the VRAM 23. Then, the graphic LSI 24 writes into the display area of the VRAM 23 using the stored bitmap file, and displays the opening screen on the monitor.

  Next, all the bitmap files used for displaying the normal screen stored in the ROM 21 are similarly transferred to the storage area of the VRAM 23 (steps 33 and 34). When the transfer of all the bitmap files is completed, the process proceeds to the normal screen display process (step 35), and drawing in the display area of the VRAM 23 is performed using a predetermined one of the transferred bitmap file data. Doing so displays the first screen. At the same time, acceptance of operation input by the user is started.

On the other hand, as a method of drawing to the VRAM, when the graphic data processor sequentially receives drawing commands, drawing to the VRAM is performed according to each drawing command and each drawing command is stored in another RAM, and batch processing is performed. It is also known that when a command is received, the drawing speed is improved by collectively executing the stored drawing commands (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-5-324841

  However, according to the processing procedure shown in FIG. 3, if the amount of bitmap data to be transferred to the VRAM is large, a considerable time is required for the transfer. In such a case, the display state of the opening screen continues for a long time, and the time until the operation can be performed, that is, the startup time is prolonged. In addition, since the start-up time varies depending on the amount of bitmap data to be transferred to the VRAM, it is difficult to design the start-up time to be completed within a few seconds, for example, according to specifications required by customers such as automobile manufacturers.

  As a method for solving this problem, it is conceivable to use an IC having a higher access speed or a microcomputer having a high clock frequency. However, this leads to an increase in cost, which is not practical. In addition, the method of storing drawing commands and executing them collectively at a time as described in the above publication cannot be applied because bitmap data is not used.

  An object of the present invention is to make it possible to appropriately set an activation time in a car navigation system or the like in view of such problems of the conventional technology.

  In order to achieve the above object, a display processing apparatus according to a first invention has a display area and a storage area, and the display apparatus uses an image written in the display area using data in the storage area. The VRAM that displays the screen and the data used for displaying the various screens are transferred to the storage area of the VRAM, and various screens are displayed by writing to the display area using the transferred data. A display processing apparatus that displays an opening screen when the power is turned on, and the control means transfers data to the storage area, and a part of the data used for displaying various screens It is performed during the display, and other untransferred ones are performed after the opening screen is switched to the normal screen.

  Here, as a display processing apparatus, what is used for the display of the image | video by a car navigation system or the rear camera of a vehicle corresponds, for example. An example of the display device is a liquid crystal display device. The opening screen means a screen that is displayed for a certain period of time after the power is turned on. While this screen is displayed, the user cannot perform an operation input to the system to which the present apparatus is applied. The normal screen refers to a screen other than the opening screen. When the normal screen is displayed, an operation input by the user is allowed.

  In this configuration, when the opening screen is switched to the normal screen, the user's operation input is allowed. However, during the opening screen display, the data used for displaying the normal screen is transferred to the storage area of the VRAM. The At this time, conventionally, since transfer of all data used for displaying the normal screen is completed and the display is shifted to the normal screen, the time until the operation input can be performed, that is, startup There was a case where time was prolonged.

  On the other hand, according to the present invention, part of the bitmap data used for displaying the normal screen is transferred while the opening screen is displayed, and other untransferred data is transferred after switching to the normal screen. As a result, the startup time can be shortened. In addition, the startup time can be freely adjusted by appropriately setting the data to be transferred while the opening screen is displayed.

  In the display processing apparatus according to the second invention, in the first invention, the control means performs data transfer to the storage area by a predetermined amount every time the display area is rewritten once or a predetermined number of times. It is characterized by that.

  A display processing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention has a display area and a storage area, and a screen is displayed on the display device by an image written in the display area using data in the storage area. VRAM and control means for displaying various screens by transferring data used for displaying various screens to the storage area of the VRAM and writing to the display area using the transferred data. In the display processing apparatus, the control means performs data transfer to the storage area by a predetermined amount every time the display area is rewritten once or a predetermined number of times.

  In any one of the first to third aspects of the display processing device according to the fourth invention, the control means prioritizes data that is likely to be used early in data transfer to the storage area. It is what is performed first.

  In any one of the first to fourth inventions, the display processing device according to the fifth invention is for the control means to display the changed content when the display content on the currently displayed screen is changed. When the data necessary for the transfer is not transferred to the storage area, the transfer is immediately performed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the data is bitmap format data.

  In a display processing apparatus according to a seventh invention, in the sixth invention, the control means performs the data transfer to the storage area first by giving priority to the data of the bitmap file having a large capacity. Features.

  A navigation device according to an eighth invention is characterized by performing screen display necessary for navigation using the display processing device according to any one of the first to seventh inventions.

  A program according to a ninth invention causes a computer to function as control means in any of the devices according to the first to eighth inventions.

  In the display processing method according to the tenth invention, the control means transfers data used for displaying various screens to the storage area of the VRAM, and writes the data to the display area of the VRAM using the transferred data. In the display processing method for displaying various screens in the display device, the control means transfers the opening screen data to the storage area of the VRAM, and the control means opens the opening screen in the storage area. A step of displaying the opening screen using the data for use, and a step of transferring a part of the data used for displaying another screen to the storage area after the opening of the opening screen. A step in which the control means switches the opening screen to another screen after transferring the part of the data; and a control means switches the other image after the screen is switched. Characterized by something other than the part of the data of use to display and a step of transferring to the storage area.

  In the display processing method according to the eleventh invention, the control means transfers data used for displaying various screens to the storage area of the VRAM, and writes the data to the display area of the VRAM using the transferred data. Thus, in the display processing method for displaying various screens in the display device, the control means performs data transfer to the storage area by a predetermined amount of data once or a predetermined number of rewrites of the display area. And

  According to the present invention, even when the amount of bitmap data used for screen display is large, the startup time from when the power is turned on until operation input can be performed can be set almost arbitrarily. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly cope with specifications of different destinations and models with different startup times. In addition, since the activation time can be shortened, it is particularly effective when the present invention is applied to the video display of a car navigation system or a rear camera of a vehicle because many users want to use these functions immediately. In addition, since the start-up time can be adjusted arbitrarily, it is possible to use an IC or a microcomputer whose processing speed is not so high, and the cost of the apparatus can be suppressed.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a display processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a ROM for storing control programs, fonts used for image display, bitmap (BMP) files, and the like. Reference numeral 22 denotes an operation control of each part of the apparatus and access to the ROM 21 according to the programs in the ROM 21. A microcomputer 23 for controlling, a VRAM having a display area corresponding to the display screen on the monitor and a storage area for storing drawing data and bitmap data, 24 based on a command from the control microcomputer 22 This is a graphic LSI that displays on a monitor by drawing in a display area. The graphic LSI 24 is an element specialized for drawing processing, and also performs access control for the VRAM 23.

  The bitmap file in the ROM 21 is used for displaying a large number of screens on the monitor. For example, the number is about 500, and the total capacity is about several megabytes. The ROM 21 also stores arrangement information when data of each bitmap file is transferred to the storage area of the VRAM 23 and arranged. The data of each bitmap file to be transferred is stored at an address according to this arrangement information.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of an image displayed as one screen on the monitor. This image is displayed using data of 16 bitmap files as shown in FIG. However, some of the characters are drawn using font data, and the clock hands are drawn by calculation.

  This display processing device is applied to, for example, a car navigation system. The control microcomputer 22 does not accept an operation input to the system while the opening screen is displayed, and accepts the operation input after shifting to the normal screen display. The operation input is performed via a touch panel or the like in accordance with display contents of various normal screens.

  FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a procedure of display processing by the display processing apparatus of FIG. When the apparatus is activated by turning on the power (step 11), the control microcomputer 22 first reads a bitmap file for the opening screen from the ROM 21 and transfers it to the graphic LSI 24. The graphic LSI 24 stores the transferred bitmap file at a predetermined address in the VRAM 23 in accordance with the above arrangement information. The graphic LSI 24 uses the stored bitmap file to write to the display area of the VRAM 23 and display the opening screen (step 12). At this time, the opening screen can be displayed using, for example, two bitmap files, and 700 [ms] after the power is turned on. The display of the opening screen is maintained until the first normal screen is displayed. Note that the backlight of the liquid crystal display device used as a monitor is turned on immediately after the power is turned on, and the monitor is in a black screen state until the opening screen is displayed.

  Next, initial bitmap data transfer processing is performed (steps 13 and 14). That is, a part of each bitmap file used for displaying the normal screen stored in the ROM 21 is transferred to the storage area of the VRAM 23 in the same procedure as described above. The file to be transferred at this time is selected on the condition that it is the main one used on the screen that can be initially displayed as the normal screen or that the capacity is large. This is because, when the first screen is displayed, the capacity of the file transferred from the ROM 21 can be reduced as much as possible so that it can be displayed quickly.

  When the initial bitmap data transfer process is completed, the process proceeds to a normal screen display process, and the control microcomputer 22 starts to accept an operation input corresponding to the display content of each normal screen. The operation input can be accepted via a touch panel or the like provided on the display screen. In the normal screen display process, the drawing main process including the processes of steps 15 to 19 is repeated until the power is turned off. During this time, the type of display screen is switched or a part of the display content is changed in accordance with an operation input or a change in the situation. In the drawing main process, the display area of the VRAM 23 is rewritten every time at the end of the process.

  In the drawing main process, first, if there is an untransferred bitmap file stored in the ROM 21 used for displaying the normal screen to the RAM 23, a part of the bitmap file is transferred (steps 15 and 16). This process is performed every time the rendering main process is repeated, so that transfer of all bitmap files used for normal screen display is completed after a certain period of time has elapsed since the transition to normal screen display processing. become. During this time, files are transferred in order from the largest capacity. In addition, files that have a high probability of being used at an early stage are transferred as early as possible.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the display content of the screen being displayed has changed (step 17). The case where the display content is changed includes a case where a part of the screen changes in addition to a case where the screen type changes due to screen switching. As for the case where the screen type is switched, when the screen type is changed according to the operation input or the situation change, for example, when the screen is changed from the menu screen to the selected navigation screen, or the vehicle starts running while the TV screen is displayed. This sometimes applies to the navigation screen. As a case where a part of the screen changes, for example, a case where an icon or a mark is additionally displayed based on information from a vehicle, or a case where a telop is played by OSD (on-screen display) is applicable.

  If it is determined in step 17 that the display content has not been changed, other processing is performed as necessary, the display area of the VRAM 23 is rewritten, and the drawing main processing is terminated. The rewriting of the display area is always performed regardless of the determination result in step 17.

  If it is determined in step 17 that the display content has been changed, it is determined whether or not the screen after the change uses data of a bitmap file that has not yet been transferred from the ROM 21 to the VRAM 23 (step 1). 18).

  If it is determined in step 18 that untransferred data is not used, other processing is performed as necessary, the display area of the VRAM 23 is rewritten, and the drawing main processing is terminated. By rewriting the display area, the change of the display content is reflected on the screen.

  If it is determined in step 18 that untransferred data is to be used, all of the untransferred bitmap file data used for the changed screen is transferred from the ROM 21 to the storage area of the VRAM 23. The capacity of the bitmap file transferred at this time is small, and there is a high probability that the transfer will be performed quickly. Thereafter, other processes are performed as necessary, the display area of the VRAM 23 is rewritten, and the drawing main process is terminated. By rewriting the display area, the change of the display content is reflected on the screen.

  According to the present embodiment, the initial bitmap data transfer process during the opening screen display transfers only a part of the bitmap data used for the normal screen display. By appropriately setting the type and capacity of the bitmap file, it is possible to shift to the normal screen display process and adjust the time until operation input becomes possible.

  In addition, as the bitmap file to be partially transferred, the one with the largest capacity is set, and the subsequent bitmap file is also transferred in order from the file with the largest capacity. Even when it is necessary to transfer a bitmap file at the time of display, there is a high probability that it is sufficient to transfer a small-capacity file, and screen display can be performed quickly.

  In addition, since the bitmap file is transferred in order from the largest in capacity, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling uncomfortable due to variations in time required for switching between the screens. In other words, if the transfer is performed randomly regardless of the capacity, the file transfer time in step 19 when the screen display content changes is also random, and the screen changes quickly when a certain screen is changed. There may be a noticeable variation in the speed of the screen change, such as a slow screen change. On the other hand, if the file transfer is performed in descending order of the capacity, the speed of screen change gradually increases, so that it is possible to prevent the variation from being anxious.

  In addition, as the bitmap file to be partially transferred, the one with the highest probability of being used on the first screen as much as possible is set, and the subsequent bitmap file transfer order is also the probability of being used at the earliest possible stage. Since it is determined that the higher one is transferred first, the number of cases where the bitmap file needs to be transferred is reduced when displaying various normal screens, so that the display contents can be changed quickly.

  In addition, when it is necessary to use untransferred bitmap data because the display content has been changed, the bitmap data is immediately transferred (steps 17 to 19). Later display contents can be reflected on the monitor screen.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a car navigation system to which the display processing apparatus of FIG. 1 is applied. Reference numerals 41 to 44 in the figure denote ROMs, control microcomputers, graphic LSIs, and VRAMs corresponding to the elements 21 to 24 in FIG. 1, respectively. 45 is an input means for performing an operation input to the control microcomputer, 46 is a position acquisition means for acquiring the current position of the vehicle by using GPS, a mileage and an angular velocity sensor, and 47 is a map data to be displayed on the navigation screen. The map database that is held, 48 is a RAM for storing programs and data for the control microcomputer 42 to perform processing, 49 is an audio output means for outputting by voice, 50 is a graphic LSI 44 controlled by the control microcomputer 42 It is a display device for performing screen display as a user interface. Note that a TV tuner, a video camera, or the like may be connected to display the video on the display device 50, or a CD player or the like may be connected to output the playback sound from the audio output means 49. .

  In this configuration, when the system power is turned on, the control microcomputer 42 displays the opening screen on the display device 50 for a predetermined period using the bitmap data stored in the ROM 41. During this time, the operation input by the input means 45 is not accepted. When the predetermined period elapses, an initial normal screen, for example, a menu screen is displayed, and acceptance of operation input by the input means 45 is started. Therefore, after this, the user can display a navigation screen and perform various operations. During this time, with respect to the screen display on the display device 50, display processing is performed by the same procedure as in FIG.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, It can deform | transform and implement suitably. For example, in the above description, the data transferred from the ROM 21 to the VRAM 23 is bitmap data. However, instead of or in addition to this, other data such as font data may be transferred.

  In the above description, the bitmap file data is transferred in order of capacity, but instead, the capacity of all files to be transferred may be transferred in equal amounts. In addition, the transfer in step 16 is performed every time the drawing main process is repeated, but instead, it may be performed every time the drawing main process is repeated several times, or a plurality of times during one drawing main process. .

  In the above description, the opening screen is displayed and the initial bitmap data transfer process is performed in parallel. Instead, the opening screen display and the initial bitmap data transmission process are not performed, and the power You may make it transfer to the display process of a normal screen immediately after throwing in. Further, the processing order of steps 15 and 16 in FIG. 1 and the processing of steps 17 to 19 may be interchanged to reverse the processing order.

It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the display process by the display processing apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the display processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the conventional procedure of the starting process regarding the screen display after power activation. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the car navigation system to which the display processing apparatus of FIG. 1 is applied. It is a figure which shows an example of the image displayed as one screen on a monitor. It is a figure which shows the figure by the data of 16 bitmap files used for the display of the screen of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

21, 41: ROM, 22, 42: Control microcomputer, 23, 43: Graphic LSI, 24, 44: RAM, 45: Input means, 46: Position acquisition means, 47: Map database, 48: RAM, 49: Audio output Means, 50: display device.

Claims (11)

A VRAM having a display area and a storage area, and displaying the screen on the display device by using an image written in the display area using data in the storage area, and used for displaying various screens And a control means for displaying various screens by transferring the data to be stored to the storage area of the VRAM and writing to the display area using the transferred data, and displaying the opening screen when the power is turned on. In the display processing device to perform,
The control means performs data transfer to the storage area while displaying an opening screen for a part of data used for displaying various screens, and normally displays an opening screen for other untransferred data. A display processing apparatus, which is performed after switching to the screen.   2. The display process according to claim 1, wherein the control means performs data transfer to the storage area by a predetermined amount every time the display area is rewritten once or a predetermined number of times. apparatus. A VRAM having a display area and a storage area, and displaying the screen on the display device by using an image written in the display area using data in the storage area, and used for displaying various screens A display processing device comprising: control means for transferring various data to the storage area of the VRAM and displaying various screens by writing to the display area using the transferred data;
The display processing apparatus, wherein the control means performs data transfer to the storage area by a predetermined amount every time the display area is rewritten once or a predetermined number of times.   4. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs data transfer to the storage area first with priority given to data that is likely to be used early. The display processing device according to 1.   When there is a change in the display contents on the screen being displayed, the control means immediately transfers the data necessary for displaying the changed contents to the storage area if the data is not transferred to the storage area. The display processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein   The display processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data is data in a bitmap format.   7. The display processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control means performs data transfer to the storage area first with priority given to data of a bitmap file having a large capacity.   A navigation device that performs screen display necessary for navigation using the display processing device according to claim 1.   A program causing a computer to function as control means in the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The control means transfers the data used for displaying the various screens to the storage area of the VRAM, and writes the data to the display area of the VRAM using the transferred data, thereby displaying the various screens on the display device. In the display processing method to be performed,
A step of transferring the data for the opening screen to the storage area of the VRAM;
A step of displaying the opening screen using the data for the opening screen in the storage area;
A step of transferring a part of data used for display of another screen to the storage area after the display of the opening screen;
A step of switching the opening screen to another screen after the transfer of the partial data;
A display control method comprising: a step of transferring, after switching the screen, data other than the part of the data used for display of the other screen to the storage area. . The control means transfers the data used for displaying the various screens to the storage area of the VRAM, and writes the data to the display area of the VRAM using the transferred data, thereby displaying the various screens on the display device. In the display processing method to be performed,
A display processing apparatus, wherein the control means performs data transfer to the storage area by a predetermined amount of data once or a predetermined number of rewrites of the display area.

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