KR100350981B1 - Apparatus for PIP processing - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a picture-in-picture (PIP) device, and more particularly, to an apparatus for effectively processing a sub-screen video signal to obtain a high-quality PIP signal.

PIP processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a switch for multiplexing the main screen video signal and the sub-screen video signal in dependence on a binary region designation signal for designating the main screen area and the sub-screen area; And a rate converter for performing a rate conversion process on the multiplexed signal provided by the switch.

The apparatus according to the present invention has an effect of increasing the quality of the PIP signal by processing the sub-screen video signal by a refresh rate converter having a high quality signal processing function.

Description

PIP processing apparatus {Apparatus for PIP processing}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a picture-in-picture (PIP) processing apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus for effectively processing a sub-screen image signal to obtain a high quality PIP signal.

The synchronization frequency in a high resolution monitor is about twice as high as that of an NTSC video signal. Accordingly, in order to display an image signal generated through a camera, a television, or the like through a monitor, an image converter for converting a scan rate is required. The image converter uses a memory, and by adjusting the magnification of the read speed and the write speed of the memory, an image signal having a converted rate can be obtained.

On the other hand, the PIP device inserts a screen (sub-screen) having a small area into the screen (main screen) of the display device to express a plurality of image information through the same display device.

The PIP apparatus has a switch for switching between the main screen video signal and the sub-screen video signal, and the main screen video signal is selected in the main screen area and the sub-screen video signal in the sub-screen area to select the sub-screen video signal. You can create an image with a screen.

Here, since the sub picture video signal is processed using a low capacity, low cost memory and a digital signal processor, its image quality is considerably low.

In contrast, the rate converter uses a high capacity, expensive memory and a digital signal processor to perform interpolation, motion processing, and the like, thereby obtaining a high quality rate converted video signal.

Therefore, the conventional PIP processing apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 has a problem in that the image quality of the PIP signal obtained by multiplexing the high-quality scan-converted video signal generated by the refresh rate converter and the low-quality sub-screen video signal is not good.

An object of the present invention is to provide a PIP processing apparatus that can be obtained to solve the above problems and obtain a high quality PIP video signal.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional picture-in-picture processing apparatus.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a PIP processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is presented to schematically illustrate the operation of the combiner shown in FIG. 2.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a PIP processing apparatus comprising: a switch for multiplexing a main screen image signal and a sub-screen image signal in dependence on a binary region designation signal for designating a main screen region and a sub-screen region; And a rate converter for performing a rate conversion process on the multiplexed signal provided by the switch to increase the resolution of both the main screen video signal and the sub-screen video signal.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The actual video signal is composed of a luminance and chrominance signal or an R / G / B signal, but for simplicity of explanation, the video signal will be referred to simply as a video signal.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a PIP processing apparatus according to the prior art. The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes an A / D converter 102, a refresh rate converter 104, a D / A converter 106, and a first switch 108.

The refresh rate converter 104 includes a memory 104a and a digital signal processor 104b.

The main picture video signal is converted into a digital signal via the A / D converter 102 and the scanning rate is converted by the rate converter 104. The rate-converted video signal output to the rate converter 104 is converted into an analog signal through the D / A converter 106.

A PC video signal, a main screen video signal, and a sub screen video signal are applied to the first switch 108. The first switch 108 outputs a PC video signal, a main screen video signal, and a sub-screen video signal, respectively, or includes a PIP video signal composed of a PC video signal and a sub-screen video signal, a main screen video signal, and a sub-screen video signal. Generates a PIP video signal. Here, the sub-screen video signal has the same refresh rate as the main-screen video signal converted by the refresh rate converter 104.

In this case, the F / B signal, which is a binary region designation signal for distinguishing the main screen region and the subscreen region, is input to the first switch 108 together with the subscreen image signal.

The first switch 108 selects and outputs a main screen video signal or a PC video signal in a main screen area and a sub-screen video signal in a sub-screen area depending on the F / B signal.

Here, since the sub-screen video signal is usually processed by a low-function sub-screen video signal processing apparatus (not shown), the sub-screen video signal is of low quality, and thus deterioration of image quality occurs in the PIP video signal.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a PIP processing apparatus according to the present invention.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, members that perform the same operation as the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is one of the output of the second A / D converter 202, the first A / D converter 102, and the output of the second A / D converter 202 that A / D converts the sub-screen video signal. A second switch 204 that is selected and provided to the rate converter 104, and a second switch 204 that combines a digitally converted sub-screen image signal and an F / B signal output from the second A / D converter 202; It further comprises a combiner 206 for providing. The second switch 204 here corresponds to a switch in the summary of the invention.

Here, the sub-screen video signal has the same scanning rate as that of the main screen video signal, and the second switch 204 outputs the first A / D converter 102 and the second A / D converter 202 depending on the F / B signal. Select one of the outputs.

That is, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the second switch 204 time-division multiplexes the main screen video signal and the sub-name video signal according to the F / B signal to generate a primary PIP video signal.

The combiner 206 combines the sub-picture video signal and the F / B signal digitally converted by the second A / D converter 202.

An operation of the second A / D converter 202 and the combiner 206 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

In FIG. 3, the combiner 206 receives the sub-screen video signal and the F / B signal digitally converted by the second A / D converter 202. The combiner 206 combines and outputs the digitally converted sub-screen image signal and the F / B signal provided from the second A / D converter 202. For example, a 7-bit digitally converted sub-picture video signal is input from the second A / D converter 202, and the combiner 206 outputs an 8-bit digital signal by combining it with a 1-bit F / B signal. do.

When the sub-screen video signal includes the luminance signal, the combiner 206 preferably combines the result of the digital conversion of the luminance signal of the sub-screen video signal with the F / B signal. This is because in the processing of the rate converter 104, more processing is performed on the color difference signal or the color signal than on the luminance signal.

The bit position of the F / B signal is not specified because the rate converter 104 recognizes it. However, the bit position of the F / B signal is preferably the most significant or least significant bit. More preferably, it is the least significant bit.

The F / B signal may be directly applied to the first switch 108 to switch between the main screen area and the sub-screen area, but in this case, the F / B signal may be delayed by one of the processes of the rate converter 104. The switching position specified by and the switching position of the video signal processed by the rate converter 104 do not exactly match. When the F / B signal is processed by the refresh rate converter 104 together with the sub-screen video signal, the switching position specified by the F / B signal and the switching position of the video signal delayed by the refresh rate converter 104 coincide exactly.

In this case, in processing the signal provided by the combiner 206, the rate converter 104 performs only the processing related to the transmission, for example, the delay processing, for the bits corresponding to the F / B signal, and interpolation or moving processing. Etc. are not performed.

The operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 will be described in detail.

1) When outputting PC video signal or main screen video signal

The first switch 108 selects and outputs only a PC video signal or a main screen video signal.

The switching position of the second switch 204 does not matter.

2) When outputting PIP signal consisting of PC video signal and sub-screen video signal

The first switch 108 multiplexes and outputs the image-converted sub-screen video signal and the PC video signal provided from the refresh rate converter 104.

In this case, the switching operation of the first switch 108 depends on the F / B signal included in the sub-screen video signal having the converted rate.

The second switch 204 selects and provides the digitally converted sub-picture image signal provided through the second A / D converter 202 and the combiner 206 to the refresh rate converter 104.

3) When outputting PIP signal consisting of main screen video signal and sub screen video signal

The first switch 108 selects and outputs a rate converted signal provided from the rate converter 104.

The second switch 204 is a digitally converted sub picture image signal provided through the second A / D converter 202 and the combiner 206 or a digitally converted main picture image provided from the first A / D converter 102. The signal is multiplexed and provided to the rate converter 104.

At this time, the switching operation of the second switch 204 is dependent on the F / B signal.

Since the PIP-processed signal is obtained primarily by the switching operation of the second switch 204, the first switch 104 selects the signal provided from the refresh rate converter 104 as in the case of outputting the main picture image signal. To print.

Two A / D converters are provided in the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 but are not necessarily so. For example, only one A / D converter installed at the rear end of the second switch 204 may be provided.

The combiner 206 may also be installed at the front end or the rear end of the second switch 204.

As described above, the apparatus according to the present invention has an effect of improving the quality of the PIP signal by processing the sub-screen video signal by a refresh rate converter having a high quality signal processing function.

Claims (3)

A switch for multiplexing the main picture video signal and the sub picture video signal in dependence on a binary area designation signal for designating a main picture area and a sub picture area; And And a rate converter for performing a rate conversion process on the multiplexed signal provided by the switch to increase the resolution of both the main screen video signal and the sub-screen video signal. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a combiner configured to combine the digitally converted sub-screen video signal obtained by digitally converting the sub-screen video signal and the binary region designation signal to the refresh rate converter, And the refresh rate converter performs only processing related to transmission, such as a delay, on a binary region designation signal combined with the digitally converted sub-picture video signal. The method of claim 2, And the combiner combines the binary region designation signal as the least significant bit.