JPH05197447A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain the exchange of a flat panel regardless of a kind. CONSTITUTION:The connection of a flat panel 1 with a main body 2 is carried out with attachable and detachable connectors 17 and 18. And also, each kind of circuit depending on the kind of the flat panel, such as a display control 11, panel control 12, and touch panel control 31 is incorporated in the flat panel 1, and an interface with the main body 2 is attained on a system bus 16 in the main body.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or a workstation having a display device containing a panel type display.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a flat panel has been widely used as a display device of an information processing device such as a portable personal computer such as a laptop computer or a laptop computer or a workstation.

Further, such a flat panel has an S
Panel-type displays such as TN liquid crystal panels, plasma panels and TFT liquid crystal panels are often used.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of a conventional portable information processing apparatus as an example of the conventional information processing apparatus.

In FIG. 5, 1 is a flat panel and 2 is a main body. The flat panel 1 and the main body 2 are electrically connected by a cable 3.

Liquid crystal drivers corresponding to various liquid crystals are mounted on the flat panel 1.
In, the cable 3 is connected to the liquid crystal driver.

FIG. 6 shows the internal structure of the flat panel 1 and the main body 2.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which the STN liquid crystal panel 4 is used for the flat panel 1. Further, the internal configuration of the main body 2 is shown only for the control of the flat panel 1.

In the figure, in the main body 2, the display memory 13 is a memory for storing image information (text code, attribute code, etc.), and the display control 11 is the display memory 1.
The writing and reading of the image information 3 is controlled, and the read image information is converted into display data and output to the panel control 12. The panel control 12 outputs the display data 9 and the panel control signal 8 in which the received display data is subjected to timing conversion or gradation conversion according to the specifications of the flat panel 1.
The power supply device 14 is a device for supplying power to the flat panel 1, and the power is supplied via the panel power supply line 10.

Further, the display control 11 of the main body 2 is connected to a system bus 16 to which an expansion slot 15 for expanding the function of the main body 2 is connected. The system bus is a bus for transmitting and receiving address signals representing memory space and IO space, data signals for exchanging data, and command signals for controlling exchange of data.

On the other hand, in the flat panel 1, the panel control signal 8 and the display data 9 and the panel power line 10 are connected to the cable 3.
Receive through. The panel power supply line 10 is input to the liquid crystal drive voltage generator 6.

The liquid crystal drive voltage generator 6 generates a liquid crystal drive voltage 7 for driving the liquid crystal of the STN panel 4. A liquid crystal driver 5 selects a liquid crystal drive voltage 7 output by the liquid crystal voltage generator 6 according to a panel control signal 8 and display data 9,
Output to STN panel 4. With the above operation, the STN liquid crystal panel 4 can display an image corresponding to the received display data 9.

In addition to the above, as the technique related to the conventional flat panel, the techniques described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2-308316 and 3-73011 are known.

[0014]

As described above, panel-type displays that can be used for flat panels include STN liquid crystal, plasma, liquid crystal TFT liquid crystal liquid crystal panel, and the like.

In these panel displays and their control devices, the quality and functions of the panel displays and display control devices are improving year by year in response to the demand for increasing the number of gradations and colorization. There are also cases where it is desired to equip a flat panel with a touch panel, a light pen, or the like.

Therefore, there is a demand to connect a flat panel suitable for the purpose to the main body and to use it, or to replace only the flat panel with a new one, depending on the purpose.

On the other hand, according to the prior art, the interface between the flat panel 1 and the main body 2 varies depending on the type of panel type display, the presence or absence of a touch panel, and so on, so that such a demand can be met. could not. That is, for example, the panel control signal 8 and the display data 9 are different depending on the type of the panel type display. Therefore, when using different panel type displays, it is necessary to replace the panel control 12 and the display control 11 on the main body 2 side. .. In addition, when using a flat panel equipped with a touch panel, it was necessary to set a new interface.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus which can be used by connecting a flat panel suitable for the purpose to the main body according to the purpose.

[0019]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve the above object,
The present invention includes a CPU, a system bus connected to the CPU, a main body accommodating a main body connector connected to the system bus, and a panel connector connected to the main body connector.
Display device accommodating a panel type display and display control means connected to the panel connector and controlling display of the panel type display based on data received from the CPU via the system bus, main body connector and panel connector And a body connector and a panel connector which are detachable from each other.

[0020]

According to the information processing apparatus of the present invention, each display device accommodates all of the circuits depending on the type of the display device,
And, since the interface between the display device and the main body is set on the system bus, any display device, regardless of the type of panel type display, depending on the application,
Can be connected to the body.

[0021]

Embodiments of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below.

First, FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an information processing apparatus according to this embodiment.

As shown in the figure, the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment comprises a flat panel 1 and a main body 2. Further, in the figure, 22 is a CRT connector, 17 is a panel connector, 1
Reference numeral 8 is a main body connector. The panel connector 1 in which the main body 2 and the flat panel 1 are attachable / detachable and have a male and female relationship
7 and the main body connector 18 are connected.

The CRT connector 22 is a connector for outputting a CRT video signal, and is provided not on the main body 2 but on the side of the flat panel 1. This is used when installing expansion components on the back of the main unit
This is because there are cases where the connector mounting position of is limited.

Next, the internal structure of the main body 2 and the flat panel 1 is shown in FIG. However, the internal configuration of the main body 2 is shown only for the control of the flat panel 1.

In the figure, 2 is a main body, which is a power supply device 14,
It has a system bus 16 and an expansion slot 15.
Further, 1 is a flat panel, which is a display memory 13,
Display control 11, panel control 12, liquid crystal drive voltage generation 6,
LCD driver 5, STN LCD panel 4, display ROM 1
9, a DAC 20, and a CRT connector 22.

In FIG. 2, the parts designated by the same reference numerals as those of the conventional information processing apparatus described above (see FIG. 6) have the same functions as the corresponding means of the conventional information processing apparatus.

The information processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is different from the above-described conventional information processing apparatus (see FIG. 6) in that the display control 11, the panel control 12, and the display memory 13 are not flat but in the main body 2. The point that it is built in the panel 1, the point that the display control 11 and the main body 2 are provided with the display ROM 19 that stores the display BIOS that is a program necessary for performing the display control of the flat panel, and the CRT is the flat panel 1 That is, the flat panel 1 is provided with a DAC 20 and a CRT connector 22 for generating analog image data 21 so that the flat panel 1 can be connected. As shown in the figure, the interface signal of the system bus 16 and the panel power supply line 10 are input to this connector. System bus 16
Is a bus used by the CPU of the main body 2 for transmitting and receiving address signals representing the memory space and IO space, a data signal for exchanging data, and a command signal for controlling exchange of data.

The operation will be described below.

In the flat panel 1, the display control 11
When the image information is received from the main body 2 through the panel connector 17, the display memory 1 receives the image information according to the received image information.
Change the contents of 3. Further, the display control 11 reads out image information from the display memory 13, converts it into display data, and outputs it to the panel control 12 and the DAC 20.

The panel control 12 outputs the received display data to the liquid crystal driver 5 and the panel control signal, which is the display data obtained by the timing conversion or gradation conversion of the received display data according to the STN panel 4. Each display data after this conversion is data of each pixel of the STN panel 4, and is output in real time with respect to the scanning of the STN panel.

On the other hand, the DAC 20 converts the received display data into an analog video signal suitable for a CRT to convert it into a CRT.
Output to the connector.

The liquid crystal driver 5 selects the liquid crystal drive voltage 7 output by the liquid crystal voltage generator 6 according to the panel control signal and display data received from the panel control 12, and outputs it to the STN panel 4.

The liquid crystal drive voltage generator 6 generates the liquid crystal drive voltage 7 for driving the liquid crystal of the STN panel 4 from the power source received from the power source device 14 of the main body 2 via the panel connector 17.

Next, Table 1 shows interface signals in the panel connector 17 and the main body connector 18.

[0036]

[Table 1]

In Table 1, A0 to A19 are address signals. D0 to D7 are data signals, AEN is address enable signal, MEMR, MEMW, IOR, IO
W is a memory / IO read / write command. IRQ is an interrupt request signal, and CLK is a bus reference clock. The image information from the main body 2 is sent to the display control 11 using these signals.

The above signals are signals on the system bus and are also included in the expansion slot 15.

The signals in the expansion slot 15 include other DMA control signals, but they are omitted because they have no relation to the control of the flat panel 1.

Further, in Table 1, the signals of the panel power supply line 10 are 5V, VLCD and GND. 5V is a drive power source for each circuit in the flat panel 1, and VLCD is a liquid crystal drive power source.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 3, the CRT connector 22 may be provided on the main body 2 side.

In this case, an analog video signal from the DAC 20 to the CRT connector 22 is added as an interface between the panel connector 17 and the main body connector 18. Next, a case where a flat panel having a touch panel is used as the flat panel 1 will be described.

FIG. 4 shows the internal structure of the main body 2 and the flat panel 1 in this case. However, the internal configuration of the main body 2 is
Only those related to the control of the flat panel 1 are shown.

The configuration shown in the figure is a configuration in which the flat panel 1 of the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is replaced with one having a touch panel.

The configuration of the flat panel shown in FIG. 4 is different from the configuration of the flat panel shown in FIG. 2 in that a touch panel 30 and a touch panel control 31 are provided.

The touch panel 30 is placed on the display surface of the STN panel 4 in an overlapping manner and detects the presence or absence of a user's touch on the panel for each area. The touch panel control 31 displays the result detected by the touch panel 30 on the panel connector 17
To the main body 2 via.

That is, the touch panel control 31 is similar to the display control 11 in the panel connector 17 and the main body connector 1.
8 to the system bus 16.

Therefore, the CPU of the main body 2 to which the system bus 16 is connected can arbitrarily use the detection result of the touch panel.

As described above, according to the information processing apparatus of this embodiment, signals on the system bus 16 are used as a common interface between various flat panels and the main body, and the signals depending on the type of flat panel are used. -Since the flat panel side is equipped with the hardware, the flat panel can be replaced without changing the hardware of the main body. In particular, since signals on the system bus 16 are used as a common interface between various flat panels and the main body, various input / output devices as well as input devices such as a touch panel and a light pen can be connected to the main body.

By incorporating a display ROM storing display control software in the flat panel 1,
In addition to hardware, there is no need to change the software inside the main unit.

By the way, the conventional portable information processing device is
The mounting space inside the main body is becoming insufficient due to higher functionality and smaller size, and there is a demand for downsizing the substrate inside the main body. On the other hand, as for the mounting space in the flat panel, the minimum size of the liquid crystal panel is ensured, and
At present, there is room in the mounting space due to the high integration of liquid crystal drivers.

Therefore, by incorporating the display control 11, the panel control 12 and the display memory 13 in the flat panel 1 as in this embodiment, the number of parts of the main body can be reduced and the miniaturization of the information processing apparatus can be achieved. You can

Next, in the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment,
An application example to an HP (Overhead Projector) will be described. An OHP is a device that normally displays what is printed or entered by hand on a transparent dedicated sheet and displays it on the screen. Recently, however, an OHP sheet is used instead of the OHP sheet to display it on the liquid crystal panel. A liquid crystal panel for OHP that displays an image on the screen as it is has been commercialized.

Unlike an exclusive sheet, such an OHP liquid crystal panel is popular because it is not necessary to print and correction is easy, and because a moving image can be handled, it is suitable for presentation. This information processing device,
Application to OHP is realized by connecting an OHP liquid crystal panel instead of the flat panel 1 of FIG.

FIG. 7 shows a usage pattern of the information processing apparatus according to this application example. In the figure, 33 is an OHP liquid crystal panel provided in place of the flat panel 1 of FIG. As shown in the figure, the main body 2 and the OHP liquid crystal panel 33 are connected to each other with a cable 34 via the main body connector 18 for use.

FIG. 8 shows the structure of the OHP liquid crystal panel 33. The OHP liquid crystal panel 33 includes two detachable housings, a front surface portion 35 and a rear surface portion 36. The front portion 35 incorporates the STN panel 4 and peripheral circuits such as the display controller 11 as in the flat panel 1 shown in FIG.
The back portion 36 has a so-called backlight portion, a light guide plate 37, a cathode tube 38, and an inverter 39 for driving the cathode tube built therein.

When the information processing apparatus is used as an ordinary personal computer, the rear surface portion 36 is incorporated so as to overlap the front surface portion 35, and the OHP liquid crystal panel 33 is directly attached to the main body connector 18 as shown in FIG. Connecting. On the other hand, when the information processing apparatus is used for the OHP32, the main body 2
Remove the OHP liquid crystal panel 33 from the
The back surface portion 36 is removed from the P liquid crystal panel 33. Then, the front surface portion 35 connected to the main body 2 via the cable 34
Are placed on the OHP 32 as shown in FIG. Or later,
Under the control of the main body 2, the characters, figures and the like displayed on the STN panel 4 of the front part 35 are projected and displayed on the screen by the OHP 32.

Here, in this way, the OHP liquid crystal panel 3 is
The reason why the structure in which 3 is divided into the front surface portion 35 and the rear surface portion 36 and the rear surface portion 36 is removed will be described. That is, general OH
P32 shines light from the bottom of the OHP liquid crystal panel 33,
Since the structure is such that the image on the liquid crystal is projected and displayed on the screen, the rear part 36 is removed and only the front part 35 is OHP3.
By placing the light guide plate 37 on the light guide plate 2, the light emitted from the OHP 32 is prevented from being interrupted by the light guide plate 37 and the housing.

A method of directly using the light of the cathode tube 38 as projection light for screen display is also conceivable. However, in this case, it is used for direct visual observation and for projection on the screen. Since it is necessary to make the brightness largely different depending on the case, the structure shown in FIG. 8 is used.

As described above, according to the information processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the liquid crystal panel can be shared when it is used as a normal personal computer and when it is used for OHP. Can be miniaturized. The system miniaturized in this way is especially
This is effective when making a presentation by going to the destination.

[0061]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus in which a flat panel suitable for a purpose can be connected to the main body and used depending on the purpose.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a first internal configuration of the main body and flat panel of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a second internal configuration of the main body and flat panel of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a third internal configuration of the main body and flat panel of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a conventional information processing device.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a third internal configuration of a main body and a flat panel of a conventional information processing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a usage state of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention applied to an OHP system.

FIG. 8 is an OHP of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the structure of a liquid crystal panel for use in a computer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 flat panel 2 main body 4 STN panel 5 liquid crystal driver 6 liquid crystal drive voltage generation 11 display control 12 panel control 13 display memory 14 power supply device 15 expansion slot 17 panel connector 18 main body connector 19 display ROM 20 DAC 22 CRT connector 30 touch panel 31 touch panel control

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A CPU, a system bus connected to the CPU, a main body accommodating a main body connector connected to the system bus, a panel connector connected to the main body connector, a panel type display, and a panel connector connected to the panel connector. A display device accommodating display control means for controlling the display of the panel type display based on data received from the CPU via the system bus, the main body connector and the panel connector, and the main body connector, An information processing device, wherein the panel connectors are detachable from each other. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display device accommodates input means for accepting designation of a position on the panel type display, and the input means accepts designation. The position data is sent to the CP via the panel connector, main body connector and system bus.
An information processing device characterized by sending to U. 3. A display control device comprising: a main body accommodating a CPU; and a display device accommodating a panel type display and having an interface with the main body on a system bus used by the CPU. 4. A power supply device, a CPU, a system bus connected to the CPU, a main body accommodating main body connectors respectively connected to the system bus and the power supply device, a panel connector connected to the main body connector, and the system. A display memory for storing data received from the CPU via the bus, the main body connector and the panel connector; display control means for generating display data for the panel type display according to the data stored in the display memory; Means for driving the panel-type display based on the display data generated by the display control means and the power source received from the power supply device of the main body via the main body connector and the panel connector. An information processing device comprising: 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display device is connected to each of the input means for accepting designation of a position on the panel type display, the panel connector and the input means. An information processing apparatus comprising: an input control unit that generates data of a position where the input unit has received a designation and sends the data to the CPU via the panel connector, the main body connector, and a system bus. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display device stores a program necessary for each unit of the display device or the CPU of the main body to control the display device. An information processing apparatus having a storage means connected to a panel connector. 7. The information processing device according to claim 4, 5 or 6, wherein the display device includes a video signal generating means for generating an analog video signal in accordance with data stored in the display memory, and a video signal. An information processing apparatus having an output terminal for outputting an analog video signal generated by a signal generating means to an external means. 8. A display device connected to a main body containing a CPU, a system bus connected to the CPU, and a main body connector connected to the system bus via the main body connector, the display device being connected to the main body connector. A panel connector, a panel-type display, and a display control unit that is connected to the panel connector and controls display of the panel-type display based on data received from the CPU via the system bus, the main body connector, and the panel connector. A display device characterized by being housed. 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the display device accommodates input means for accepting designation of a position on the panel type display, and the input means accepts designation. The position data is sent to the CP via the panel connector, main body connector and system bus.
A display device characterized by being sent to U. 10. A configuration of an information processing apparatus configured by connecting one display device of a plurality of types of display devices accommodating a panel type display to a main body accommodating a CPU and a system bus connected to the CPU. A method for accommodating all types of circuits depending on the type of the display device in each display device, and setting an interface between the display device and the main body on the system bus. The display device according to claim 1 can be connected to the main body, and a method for configuring an information processing device. 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the display device includes a lighting unit that increases the brightness of the panel display, and the lighting unit is detachably attached to the display device. An information processing device characterized in that