JPS581786B2 - Brightness modulation method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a brightness modulation method that allows a color image displayed on a color display device to be displayed on a monochrome monitor screen by changing the brightness.

A conventional color display device, as shown in Figure 1,
Three systems of red, green, and blue video signals and synchronization signals of the same level are sent from the display controller 1 to the color monitor 4 through the video driver 2 and signal cable 3, and a color image is reproduced on the color monitor 4. ing.

Further, the video signal and the synchronization signal are mixed to create a composite video signal, and the same image is reproduced in monochrome on a monochrome monitor 6 through a signal cable 5 from the video driver 2.

However, when displaying an image on the monochrome monitor 6, it is obvious that a color image cannot be displayed.

Also, no matter what color it is, it will be displayed with the same brightness on a monochrome screen.

Therefore, it is not suitable especially when it is desired to display important display data on a monochrome screen.

The present invention was made in view of the above points, and when driving a monochrome monitor with a video signal from a color display device, a predetermined color signal (single color, multicolor, composite color) among color signals is used to drive a monochrome monitor with a video signal from a color display device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a brightness modulation method that can display a position corresponding to a town with increased intensity, can change the brightness of important data even on a monochrome screen, and can improve display effects.

Embodiments of the brightness modulation method of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing one embodiment thereof.

In FIG. 2, a portion indicated by a dashed line 11 indicates a controller for controlling a color monitor and a monochrome monitor (none of which are shown) of the color display device.

An input/output interface 12 is provided within this controller.

The input/output interface 12 is connected to a central processing unit (not shown).
It is designed to exchange signals with the CPU (hereinafter referred to as the CPU).

The input/output interface 12 converts the level of data from the CPU into a predetermined value and sends the data to be displayed on the screen of the color monitor and monochrome monitor to the refresh random access memory 13.

That is, it transfers data from the CPU.

Refresh random access memory 13 is CP
When the above data is transferred from U, it is held.

Further, 14 is a display control device,
It is designed to exchange signals with the input/output interface 12 and output to the refresh random access memory 13.

That is, it decodes the writing command sent from the CPU through the input/output interface 12 and thereby refreshes the random access memory 1.
3 holds the above data.

When the display control device 14 receives a display command sent from the CPU through the human output interface 12, the display control device 14 decodes the display command and stores it in the refresh random access memory 13. Fixed data character generator 1
5 and a pattern generator 16.

The fixed character generator 15 converts encoded characters such as English, numbers, and kana, or figures into parallel signals of a display pattern.

Further, the pattern generator 16 can be freely rewritten by the CPU through the input/output interface 12 in accordance with data from the refresh random access memory 13.

Also, refresh random access memory 13
From there, red, green, and blue color information is sent to the decoder 17.

The outputs of the pattern generator 16 and fixed character generator 15 are sent to a shift register 18.

The shift register 18 converts the parallel signal of the display pattern of the fixed character generator 15 into a serial video signal based on the output of the pattern generator 16.

This serial video signal is sent to a video driver 19 equipped with a brightness modulation circuit.

This video driver 19 is a red light video driver 19.
It is composed of an R1 green signal driver 19G, a blue signal video driver 19B1, a monochrome video driver 19M, and a 4 degree control driver 19L.

Among these, the video driver 19R for red signal, the video driver 19G for green signal, and the video driver 19B for blue signal drive the color monitor, and the video signal is introduced from the shift register 18 and the enable signal from the decoder 17 is input, respectively. When this happens, each video signal is output to a color monitor.

Furthermore, the monochrome video driver 19M is for driving a monochrome monitor.

Furthermore, the brightness control driver 19L modulates the brightness of a monochrome monitor.

The decoder 17 is for controlling the video drivers for red, green, and blue signals and for controlling brightness modulation, and the red, green, and blue color information is introduced from the refresh random access memory 13. Then,
A predetermined signal line is selected to output an enable signal for each driver to a red signal video driver 19R, a green signal video driver 19G, and a blue signal video driver 19B, as well as a brightness control video signal 19L. It is also output to .

Further, the shift register 18 sends the above-mentioned video signal to a monochrome driver 19M, and the monochrome driver 19M creates a monochrome video signal.

This monochrome video signal is the monochrome driver 19M.
When the monochrome monitor is driven through the control circuit, the brightness of the monochrome monitor is modulated by the output of the brightness control driver 19L.

At this time, the brightness modulation control signal decoded by the decoder 17 is introduced into the brightness control driver 19L, and only a predetermined video signal in the monochrome video signal output from the monochrome video driver 19M is subjected to brightness modulation by this control signal. It is now possible to do so.

Next, the operation of the brightness modulation system of the present invention configured as described above will be explained.

First, when a writing command is sent from the CPU to the display control device 14 through the input/output interface 12, the display control device 14 decodes it.

The data is then output from the display control device 14 to the refresh random access memory 14.

At the same time, data from the CPU is sent to the input/output interface 12, where it is converted to a predetermined level, and this data is sent to the refresh random access memory 1 based on the output of the display control device 14.
Touch and hold at 3.

Next, when a display command is introduced from the CPU to the display control device 14 through the input/output interface 12, the display control device 14 decodes this display command and
Refresh output random access memory 13
The data held in is sent to a fixed character generator 15 and a pattern generator 16.

When the data is introduced into the pattern generator 16, it is output to the shift register 18.

Based on the output of the pattern generator 16, the shift register 18 converts the parallel signal of the display pattern from the fixed character generator 15 into a serial video signal.

The red, green, and blue color signals of this video signal are sent to a red signal video driver 19R1, a green signal video driver 19G1, and a blue signal video driver 19B.

At the same time, the video signal from the shift register 18 is also sent to the monochrome video driver 19M to create a monochrome video signal.

The monochrome video signal obtained at this time is shown in FIG. 3A.

The colors shown in FIG. 3A are the colors that are displayed in response to the video signal being output at that timing when color display is performed.

Further, this signal is a composite video signal consisting of a video signal and a synchronization signal C.

On the other hand, refresh random access memory 13
The color information of red, green, and blue is sent from the decoder 17 to the decoder 17.

When this color information is introduced, the decoder 17 selects a predetermined color (which can be a single color, multiple colors, or composite colors) by a method such as a strap on a printed circuit board (not shown) or selection by a program. The color information is decoded to select the color information.

FIG. 3B shows a timing signal obtained as a result of decoding by this decoder 17, that is, a brightness control signal.

This control signal is the red video driver 19R,
The signal is sent to the green signal video driver 19G and the blue signal video driver 19B.

For example, if the selected color signals are red and green, the control signal is output at the timing when the red and green color information signals are sent from the refresh random access memory 13 to the decoder 17.

As a result, the enable signal sent from the decoder 17 at this timing causes the red and green video drivers 1 to
9R and 19G will be subjected to brightness modulation.

Therefore, of the display pattern displayed on the screen of the color monitor, the brightness-modulated red and green parts have different brightness from the other color parts.

Further, the control signal selected by the decoder 17 is also sent to the brightness control driver 19L.

This color signal passes through a brightness control driver 19L and modulates the brightness of the monochrome monitor.

In other words, the third image synthesized by the monochrome driver 19M
The monochrome monitor is driven by the monochrome video signal shown in Figure A, and the color selected by the decoder 17 shown in Figure 3B (
The video signals corresponding to the red and green colors are subjected to brightness modulation.

Therefore, although a predetermined display pattern displayed on the screen of a monochrome monitor driven by a monochrome video signal is displayed in the same color, the brightness control driver 19L
The display portion (signals indicated by R and G in FIG. 3C) corresponding to the color signal whose brightness has been modulated by the output of is displayed brighter than other display portions.

Therefore, it turns out that this part is important data, and the display effect can be improved.

In the above description, an example was given in which brightness modulation is applied to red and green colors, but it goes without saying that the same applies to other color systems.

As described above, according to the present invention, data sent from a central processing unit is converted into a predetermined parallel display pattern at the display timing, and this is converted into a serial video signal to produce red, green, and blue signals. It sends out to the means for driving the color monitors of each system, and also forms a monochrome video signal to drive the monochrome monitor, while selecting at a predetermined timing from the red, green, and blue color information of the above data. In addition to the means for supplying a predetermined color signal to a color monitor, it is possible to apply luminance modulation to change the luminance of a predetermined color among the color patterns displayed on the screen of the color monitor.

In addition to this, in particular, since the video signal corresponding to this color signal of the monochrome video signal is modulated at the above-mentioned predetermined timing, among the monochrome patterns displayed on the monochrome screen, The brightness-modulated signal portion is displayed brightly, making it easier to see important data on the screen, and further enhancing the display effect.

Note that by increasing the degree of brightness modulation, it is also possible to display halftone images.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional color display device, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the brightness modulation method of the present invention, and FIGS. 3A to 3C are respectively the brightness modulation methods of the present invention. FIG. 12... Input/output interface, 13... Refresh random access memory, 14... Display control device, 15... Fixed character generator, 16... Pattern generator, 17... Decoder, 18... Shift Register, 19R...Red video driver, 19G...Green video driver, 19B
...Blue video driver, 19M...Monochrome video driver, 19L...Brightness control driver.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A storage section in which code data such as characters, figures, etc. and color information for specifying display colors are stored for color display, and means for outputting parallel display pattern data according to the code data read from the storage section. , a means for converting the parallel display pattern data into a serial video signal and supplying it to a monochrome video signal line; A brightness modulation method characterized in that a color image is displayed on a monochrome monitor by changing the brightness of a portion corresponding to a predetermined color by dimming the brightness modulation of a signal corresponding to this color in the signal.