TW202013173A - Switch device and switch system and the methods thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A switch device comprises a first connection interface, a second connection interface, an image output interface, a control module and a processing module. The first connection interface receives a first image and the second connection interface receives a second image. The image output interface exports an integration image. The control module receives a control signals including a location information. The processing module generates the integration image based on the first image and the second image. The integration image includes a first sub-frame including a first depth value and a second sub-frame including a second depth value respectively corresponded to the first image and the second image. When the location information falls into an overlap area created by overlapped the first sub-frame and the second sub-frame, the processing module exports the control signal to one of the first connection interface and the second connection interface by referring to the first depth value and the second depth value.

Description

Switching device and switching system and applicable method

The present invention relates to a multi-screen switching system, switching device and operating method; specifically, the present invention relates to a multi-screen switching system, switching device and operating method for controlling multiple hosts.

The multi-computer switcher allows users to control multiple computers through a set of keyboard, screen and mouse. Generally speaking, displaying the output images of multiple controlled computers on the screen is limited only by a specific display method. For example, a multi-channel picture is presented with an average divided picture size. When the user wants to change the display mode, additional hardware (such as buttons) is needed to control. In addition, changing the display mode may cause errors in the position of the mouse cursor. Therefore, the existing multiple computer switch still needs to be improved.

When the output screens of multiple controlled computers displayed on the screen overlap, the operator cannot accurately control the controlled computers with the mouse at this time, so the switching device and method for the screen overlap still need to be improved.

The invention provides a switching device for multi-screen switching and an operating method thereof, and proposes a switching system and operating method suitable for multiple hosts, which can improve the convenience of operating multiple hosts and the accuracy of the operation of the pointing device.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a switching device. The switching device includes a first connection interface, a second connection interface, an image output interface, a control module, and a processing module. The processing module is electrically connected to the first connection interface, the second connection interface, the image output interface and the control module. The first connection interface receives the first image. The second connection interface receives the second image. The image output interface outputs integrated images. The control module receives a control signal containing position information. The processing module generates an integrated image based on the first image and the second image. The integrated image includes a first sub-picture corresponding to the first image and a second sub-picture corresponding to the second image. The first sub-picture contains the first depth value. The second sub-picture contains the second depth value. When the part of the first sub-picture overlaps with the part of the second sub-picture to generate an overlapping area, and the position information falls within the overlapping area, the processing module refers to the first depth value and the second depth value to determine the control signal Output from one of the first connection interface and the second connection interface.

An embodiment of the invention provides a control method of a switching device, which includes the following steps: receiving a first image from a first connection interface. Receive the second image from the second connection interface. Receive control signals, which contain location information. An integrated image is generated based on the first image and the second image. The integrated image includes a first sub-picture corresponding to the first image and a second sub-picture corresponding to the second image. The first sub-picture contains the first depth value. The second sub-picture contains the second depth value. Output the integrated image. And, when the position information falls within the overlapping area, the control signal is determined to be output from one of the first connection interface and the second connection interface according to the first depth value and the second depth value. Wherein, the part of the first sub-picture overlaps the part of the second sub-picture to be an overlapping area.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a switching system, including a switching device, a first host, a second host, an indicator device, and a display device. The first host, the second host, the pointing device, and the display device are connected to the switching device. The first host outputs the first image to the switching device. The second host outputs the second image to the switching device. The switching device generates integrated images based on the first image and the second image. The pointing device outputs a control signal to the switching device, and the control signal includes position information. The display device receives and displays the integrated image from the switching device. The integrated image includes a first sub-picture corresponding to the first image and a second sub-picture corresponding to the second image. The first sub-picture contains the first depth value. The second sub-picture contains the second depth value. When the part of the first sub-picture overlaps with the part of the second sub-picture to produce an overlapping area, and the position information falls within the overlapping area, the switching device refers to the first depth value and the second depth value to determine the control of the pointing device The signal is output to one of the first host and the second host.

An embodiment of the invention provides a method for switching a system operation, including the following steps: connecting a first host with a switching device and receiving a first image from the first host. The switching device is connected to the second host and receives the second image from the second host. The switching device is connected to the pointing device and receives a control signal from the pointing device. The control signal includes position information. The switching device generates an integrated image according to the first image and the second visual image. The integrated image includes a first sub-picture corresponding to the first image and a second sub-picture corresponding to the second image. The first sub-picture contains the first depth value. The second sub-picture contains the second depth value. Use the switching device to output the integrated image to the display device; and when the part of the first sub-picture overlaps with the part of the second sub-picture to generate an overlapping area, and the position information falls within the overlapping area, the switching device refers to the first depth value And the second depth value determines to output the control signal to one of the first host and the second host.

As described above, the present invention uses a switching device to assign different depth values to images received from different hosts to generate an integrated image output to the display device and display, and can control different hosts through the pointing device, thus improving the convenience of operating multiple hosts The precision of operation with the pointing device.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a multi-picture system 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-screen system 1 includes a display device 10, a multi-screen operation device 20, an indicator device 30, and a host (40A, 40B, 40C, 40D). The multi-screen operation device 20 is connected to the display device 10. The pointing device 30 is connected to the multi-screen operation device 20 and transmits position information. The multi-screen operation device 20 may include, but is not limited to, a multi-computer switcher, and the pointing device 30 may be a mouse, a touchpad, or a trackball. The hosts (40A, 40B, 40C, 40D) are connected to the multi-screen operation device 20 respectively. The host (40A, 40B, 40C, 40D) outputs video data and generates an output screen on the display device 10 via the multi-screen operation device 20. In other words, the output picture includes pictures transmitted from different hosts. In addition, the number of hosts is not limited in use. In the present invention, only the usage scenarios of four or two are used as an illustrative description.

The multi-screen operation device 20 obtains the position information corresponding to the initial position in the output screen according to the position information. The initial position means that the cursor corresponds to an absolute coordinate of the entire output picture. The absolute position is generated according to the initial position and the depth value of the pictures transmitted by different hosts, and then transmitted to the host 40A, the host 40B, the host 40C, or the host 40D. The depth value refers to a hierarchy of pictures corresponding to different hosts, and pictures with different depth values are displayed in an overlapping state in the output picture. In other words, pictures with different depth values have different distances relative to the user in the direction of the line of sight. The absolute position refers to another absolute coordinate of the cursor corresponding to a certain picture (for example, the picture transmitted by the host 40A). For example, according to the depth value, the relationship between the frames transmitted by different hosts and the initial position is determined, and then the coordinates of the cursor corresponding to a certain frame (such as the frame transmitted by the host 40A) are obtained. In this way, the absolute position obtained by converting the absolute coordinates can improve the accuracy of the position of the multi-screen operating device with respect to the pointing device, avoid errors in the position judgment of the pointing device 30, and improve work efficiency.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the multi-picture system 1A. Taking FIG. 2 as an example, the multi-picture system 1A shown in FIG. 2 can be applied to the multi-picture system 1 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the multi-screen operation device 20 includes an acquisition module 210, a processing module 220, a control module 230 and a conversion module 240. The capture module 210 captures video data from the host (40A, 40B, 40C, 40D) and generates an output image on the display device 10 through the processing module 220. The control module 230 receives the position information from the pointing device 30, and displays it on the output screen through the processing module 220. The processing module 220 obtains the position information corresponding to the initial position in the output screen according to the position information. The processing module 220 judges the relationship between the images transmitted by different hosts (40A, 40B, 40C, 40D) and the initial position according to the depth value, and the conversion module 240 generates an absolute position and transmits it to the corresponding host. Accordingly, the absolute position obtained by converting the position information of the pointing device 30 into absolute coordinates can improve the accuracy of the position of the pointing device 30 of the multi-screen operating device 20.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an embodiment of an operation method. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation method for the multi-screen system includes steps S10 to S50. In step S10, the multi-screen operation device receives the position information from the pointing device. In step S20, the multi-screen operation device receives video data from different hosts respectively. In step S30, corresponding to the video data, an output picture including pictures transmitted by different hosts is generated on the display device. In step S40, the initial position is obtained based on the position information. In step S50, according to the initial position and the depth value of each picture, an absolute position is generated and transmitted to one of the hosts (40A, 40B, 40C, 40D).

4A and 4B are schematic diagrams of an embodiment of the output picture F. FIG. Different hosts output video data separately and generate an output screen F on the display device through the multi-screen operation device. As shown in FIG. 4A, the output picture F contains pictures (f1, f2, f3, f4) generated by video data transmitted from different hosts. For example, the screen f1 is from the host 40A (refer to FIG. 1), the screen f2 is from the host 40B, the screen f3 is from the host 40C, and the screen f4 is from the host 40D. The pictures transmitted by each host may have different depth values. For example, the position of each picture is defined in the upper left corner of each picture (f1, f2, f3, f4), the upper left corner of the picture f1 has P1 (X ₁ , Y ₁ , Z ₁ ), and the upper left corner of the picture f2 has P2 (X ₂ , Y ₂ , Z ₂ ), and so on. Wherein, the aforementioned Z ₁ and Z ₂ are the depth values of the picture f1 and the picture f2, respectively. In the example of FIG. 4A, the picture f1 is located at a lower layer and has a larger depth value. In other words, for the picture f1 and the picture f2, there is a relationship where Z _{1 is} greater than Z ₂ . In addition, the order of the pictures to be detected can be determined according to the depth value, and the picture with the smallest depth value is prioritized for detection. In the examples of FIGS. 4A and 4B, the picture f2 is detected first.

Similarly, for the overall picture (and output picture F), the position of the output picture F can also be defined in the upper left corner of the output picture F. For example, the upper left corner of the output screen F has P0 (X ₀ , Y ₀ , Z ₀ ). In addition, the multi-screen operation device receives the position information from the pointing device, obtains the initial position according to the position information, and presents the cursor c on the output screen. The initial position is the absolute coordinate of the cursor c corresponding to the output frame F. For example, the initial position obtained by the position information and P0 has (X _M , Y _M ).

As shown in FIG. 4B, according to the depth value, the relationship between the pictures (f1, f2, f3, and f4) transmitted by different hosts and the initial position is determined, and then the coordinates (ie, absolute positions) of the cursor c corresponding to a certain picture are obtained. In the example of FIG. 4B, the cursor c is located at the position where the screen f1 and the screen f2 overlap, and the depth value of each screen can distinguish the cursor to operate on the screen f2, so the absolute position obtained from the initial position and P2 has (X _MR , Y _MR ). Thereby, the absolute position obtained by converting the absolute coordinates is related to the screen operated by the cursor c, which can improve the accuracy of the position of the multi-screen operation device with respect to the pointing device.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of another embodiment of the operation method. As shown in FIG. 5, the operation method for the multi-screen system includes steps S10 to S58. Steps S10 to S40 are as described above, and the differences will be described below. In step S52, the overlapping relationship between the initial position and the picture is sequentially detected according to the depth value. In step S54, the screen area where the cursor is located is determined. When it is judged that the cursor appears in the screen corresponding to a certain host, the screen is determined as the target screen (step S56); conversely, when the cursor is judged not to correspond to the screen output by a certain host, then the cursor and another host are judged. The relationship of the output screen. In step S58, the initial position is converted to an absolute position according to the target picture.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the output picture F. Different hosts output video data separately and generate an output screen F on the display device through the multi-screen operation device. As shown in FIG. 6, the output frame F contains the frames (f1, f2) generated by the video data transmitted from different hosts. For example, the screen f1 comes from the host 40A (please refer to FIG. 1), and the screen f2 comes from the host 40B. The picture f2 is partially superimposed on the picture f1. The pictures (f1, f2) transmitted by each host may have different width values, height values, and depth values. For example, the position of each picture is defined in the upper left corner of each picture, the upper left corner of the picture f1 has P1 (W ₁ , H ₁ , X ₁ , Y ₁ , Z ₁ ), and the upper left corner of the picture f2 has P2 (W ₂ , H ₂ , X ₂ , Y ₂ , Z ₂ ). Wherein, W ₁ and W ₂ are the width values of the screen f1 and the screen f2, respectively. H ₁ and H ₂ are the height values of the screen f1 and the screen f2, respectively. Z ₁ and Z ₂ are the depth values of the picture f1 and the picture f2, respectively.

The aforementioned width and height values can jointly define the picture area of the picture. For example, the picture f1 has a picture area formed by the width value W ₁ and the height value H ₁ , and the picture f2 has another picture area formed by the width value W ₂ and the height value H ₂ . Further, according to the horizontal position value (such as X ₁ ), vertical position value (such as Y ₁ ), width value (such as W ₁ ), and height value (such as H ₁ ) in the upper left corner of each screen, the position of the screen area and the size. On the other hand, the order of the pictures to be detected is determined according to the depth value. For example, the picture with the smallest depth value as the priority detection. In the example of FIG. 6, the overlapping relationship between the initial position and the screen f2 is detected first, and then the overlapping relationship between the initial position and the screen f1 is detected.

As shown in FIG. 6, it is judged that the cursor c is not in the screen f2, and then it is judged that the cursor c appears in the screen f1, so the screen f1 is the target screen. It should be added that when the multi-screen operating device determines that the initial position and the target screen overlap with each other, the multi-screen operating device stops detection and continues the step of position conversion. As shown in FIG. 6, the cursor c is operated on the screen f1, so the absolute position is obtained from the initial position and P1. Thereby, the absolute position obtained by converting the absolute coordinates is related to the screen operated by the cursor c, which can improve the accuracy of the position of the multi-screen operation device with respect to the pointing device.

7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of an embodiment of changing the screen arrangement. The foregoing operation method can further arrange and combine the pictures generated from the video data transmitted by different hosts according to the absolute position. As shown in FIG. 7A, the cursor c is operated on the screen f1, and the multi-screen operation device converts the initial position to the absolute position according to the target screen (screen f1). As shown in FIG. 7B, the multi-screen operation device changes the arrangement of the screen f1 and the screen f2 according to the absolute position, and displays the screen (screen f1) on which the cursor c is operated on the uppermost layer. In this way, the display position can be switched by using the absolute position without additional hardware keys to control, which increases the convenience of operation.

The multi-screen system 1 may be a multi-computer control system, including a display device 10, a control device 30, a first computer 40A, a second computer 40B, and a multi-screen operation device 20. It should be noted that the first computer 40A and the second computer 40B are only examples, and are not intended to limit the number of computers included in the multi-computer device. The multi-computer system may be a plurality of computers (eg, 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D).

The multi-screen operation device 20 is, for example, a switching device, in which the capture module 210 has first and second connection interfaces. The first connection interface and the second connection interface are used to connect several computers (for example, 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D) to receive the first and second image data. The processing module 220 has a third connection interface and a processing unit. The third connection interface is used to connect the display device 10 to output an output image data (for example, F). The processing unit is electrically connected to the first connection interface, the second connection interface, and the third connection interface, and is used to generate output image data F according to several image data. The frame corresponding to the output image data includes the first sub-screen (for example, f1) and the first In two sub-pictures (for example, f2), the first sub-picture f1 corresponds to the first image data, and the second sub-picture f2 corresponds to the second image data. Wherein, the processing unit determines the screen of the overlapping area of the first sub-picture f1 and the second sub-picture f2 according to the overlapping relationship between the first sub-picture f1 and the second sub-picture f2. It should be noted that the first and second connection interfaces here are for illustration only, and the number of connected computers may be multiple but not limited to two. Similarly, the input first and second image data and the corresponding first and second sub-pictures are only for illustration, and the number of the first and second sub-pictures may be more than two. Furthermore, the first image data has first resolution information, and the second image data has second resolution information. The processing unit calculates the relative sizes of the first sub-picture f1 and the second sub-picture f2 in the combined picture based on the first resolution information and the second resolution information. The control module 230 is connected to the processing unit in the processing module 220. When the position (for example, c) of the corresponding control module 230 is located in the area where the first sub-picture f1 does not overlap the second sub-picture f2, the processing unit A connection interface outputs a control command from the control module 230. When the index position c is located in the area where the second sub-picture f2 does not overlap the first sub-picture f1, the processing unit outputs the control from the control module 230 from the second connection interface command. In addition, if the index position c of the control module 230 is located in the overlapping area of the first sub-picture f1 and the second sub-picture f2, the processing unit according to the first layer value (for example, Z ₁ ) and the second image corresponding to the first image data The value of the second layer corresponding to the data (for example, Z ₂ ) determines to output the control command from the control module 230 from the first connection interface or the second connection interface.

The output image data F includes first sub-picture boundary information, first sub-picture size information (eg W ₁ , H ₁ ), second sub-picture boundary information, and second sub-picture size information (eg W ₂ , H ₂ ). The first sub-picture boundary information determines the boundary position of the first sub-picture f1 on the screen corresponding to the output image data F. The first sub-picture size information (W ₁ , H ₁ ) determines the size of the first sub-picture f1 in the screen corresponding to the output image data F. The second sub-picture boundary information determines the boundary position of the second sub-picture f2 on the screen corresponding to the output image data F. The second sub-picture size information (W ₂ , H ₂ ) determines the size of the second sub-picture f2 in the screen corresponding to the output image data F.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment in which the multi-screen operation device 20 is a switching device. Referring to FIG. 8, a switching device 800 for performing multi-screen switching includes a first connection interface 810, a second connection interface 820, an image output interface 840, a control module 830, and a processing module 850. The first connection interface 810 is connected to the first host 40A. The second connection interface 820 is connected to the second host 40B. The type of the host, such as a personal computer, a tablet computer, or a notebook computer, is not limited thereto. The first connection interface 810 receives the first image F40A from the first host 40A. The second connection interface 820 receives the second image F40B from the second host 40B. The first image F40A and the second image F40B may be desktops or running program interfaces corresponding to the hosts 40A, 40B, but not limited thereto. The image output interface 840 can be connected to a display device such as a screen or a projector, and output an integrated image F to the display device 10 for display.

For the first image F40A, the second image F40B, and the integrated image F, the definition of the image may be an image type, for example, an image screen presented on the display device. On the other hand, the definition of the image can also be a data type, such as image data or parameters that are provided to the display device for display when transmitted via the transmission interface, such as a video line array (VGA), but it is not limited thereto.

In addition, in this embodiment, the switching device 800 is connected to two hosts. However, in different embodiments, the switching device 800 may include more sets of connection interfaces to connect to more hosts, such as three connections. The interface corresponds to three hosts, but not limited to this number.

The control module 830 can be connected to the pointing device 30 such as a mouse, a trackball, a touchpad, or a gesture recognition input device, but is not limited thereto. The control module 830 also receives control signals from the pointing device 30, such as click, drag, and other operations. The control signal includes position information, which can be generated by, for example, the amount of change in the physical position of the pointing device 30, but is not limited thereto. In different embodiments, the position information may also be generated by the gesture recognition input device using images or other detection methods to sense the user's gesture position.

The processing module 850 is, for example, a microprocessor (MCU), a field programmable logic gate array (FPGA), or a CPU, but is not limited thereto. The processing module 850 is electrically connected to the first connection interface 810, the second connection interface 820, the image output interface 840, and the control module 850. The processing module 850 generates an integrated image F according to the first image F40A and the second image F40B.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment, only the usage scenarios of two stations are used as an exemplary description. When there is a demand for more than two hosts, for example, three hosts provide images separately, a connection interface can be added to connect to other added hosts. Then, the processing module 850 generates integrated images F according to the images provided by the three connected hosts, but the number is not limited to this.

For details of the integrated image processing, please refer to FIGS. 8 and 9. The processing module 850 assigns parameters such as depth value, size, or position to the received first image F40A and second image F40B, respectively. The processing module 850 integrates the first image F40A and the second image F40B according to the above parameters to produce an integrated image F. The generated integrated image F includes a first sub-frame f1 corresponding to the display content of the first image F40A and a second sub-frame f2 corresponding to the display content of the second image F40B. The first sub-picture f1 contains a first depth value Z ₁ and the second sub-picture contains a second depth value Z ₂ . Preferably, the size of the first sub-frame f1 presented in the integrated image F is related to the position and the size and position of the first image F40A assigned by the processing module 850. The size of the second sub-frame f2 presented in the integrated image F is related to the position and the parameters such as the size and position of the second image F40B assigned by the processing module 850.

In an embodiment, when the first sub-picture f1 and the second sub-picture f2 have an overlapping area A, the display content of the overlapping area A is determined according to the order of the first depth value Z ₁ and the second depth value Z ₂ The content of a sub-picture f1 or a second sub-picture f2. In other words, the first depth value Z ₁ and the second depth value Z ₂ have different priorities. For example, when an overlapping area A is generated, if, for example, the first depth value Z ₁ has priority over the second depth value Z ₂ , then in the integrated image F displayed by the display device 10, the first sub-frame f1 The overlapping area A with the second sub-picture f2 will display the display content of the first sub-picture f1 in the overlapping area A. The display content of the second sub-picture f2 in the overlapping area A will be blocked by the first sub-picture f1. In addition, the first sub-picture f1 and the second sub-picture f2 are arranged in the superimposed display order in the integrated image F according to the priority order of the first depth value Z ₁ and the second depth value Z ₂ . In an embodiment, when the display content of the overlapping area A corresponds to the first sub-frame f1 (that is, corresponds to the first image), the processing module 850 outputs the control signal from the first connection interface 810, the same, When the display content of the overlapping area A corresponds to the second sub-picture f2 (that is, corresponds to the second image), the processing module 850 outputs a control signal from the second connection interface 820.

It should be noted that when there are more than three sub-pictures, the processing module 850 can assign depth values to the corresponding images, for example, the first sub-picture f1 is assigned a first depth value Z ₁ , and the second sub-picture f2 is assigned a second depth For the value Z ₂ , the third sub-picture is assigned a third depth value (not shown in the figure). The three sub-pictures are superimposed according to the priority order of the first to third depth values. The corresponding sub-picture with the highest priority is at the top layer of the integrated image F, and the corresponding sub-picture with the lowest priority is at the bottom layer of the integrated image F.

In one embodiment, the first depth value Z _{1 is} included in the pixel point data of each pixel point in the first sub-picture f1. The second depth value Z ₂ includes pixel point data of each pixel point in the second sub-picture f2. In detail, the depth values Z ₁ and Z ₂ may be included in the image data during image transmission, for example, included in the parameters of the image. Taking the first image F40A as an example, the first image F40A belongs to a data type during transmission. At this time, the first sub-frame f1 corresponding to the first image F40A may include a plurality of pixel points. For example, the resolution of the first sub-picture f1 may be 500 ppi (pixels per inch), which means that there are 500 pixel points per inch in the first sub-picture f1, but the number and distribution of pixel points are not limited to this.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the first depth value Z ₁ and the second depth value Z ₂ may also be directly displayed on the integrated image F of the display device 10. For example, the first depth value Z ₁ is directly displayed on the image display content of the first sub-screen f1 and the second depth value Z _{2 is} displayed on the image display content of the second sub-screen f2. This presentation can be image or text, but not limited to this.

In one embodiment, the processing module 850 generates a judgment sequence according to each depth value, and sequentially judges whether the position information falls into each sub-picture according to the judgment sequence. When it is judged that the position information M falls within the range of the sub-picture with higher priority in the judgment order, the processing module 850 stops the subsequent judgment in the judgment order, and outputs the control signal from the connection interface corresponding to the sub-picture. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a control signal output by the processing module output indicator device. Please refer to FIG. 11, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. Step S111 The processing module 850 generates a judgment sequence according to the first depth value Z ₁ and the second depth value Z ₂ . Step S112 determines the position information M and the position of the sub-picture range corresponding to the first order. Step S113: If the position information M is within the range of the sub-picture corresponding to the first order, go to step S114 to output a control signal to the corresponding host. If the position information M is not within the range of the sub-picture corresponding to the first order at step S113, go to S115 to determine the position of the position information M and the range of the sub-picture corresponding to the second order. Step S116: If the position information M is within the range of the sub-picture corresponding to the second order, go to step S117 to output a control signal to the host corresponding to the second order. If the position information M is not within the range of the sub-picture corresponding to the second order at step S116, go to S111 to confirm the determination order again, and re-determine whether the position information M is within the range of the sub-picture of the first order according to the determination order. It should be noted that the judgment order generated by the priority order of the first depth value Z ₁ and the second depth value Z ₂ will be adjusted according to the situation. For example, after outputting the control signal to the host, the depth value of the host will take precedence over other Host, but the method of changing the priority order of depth values is not limited to this. In addition, the order of the first depth value Z ₁ and the second depth value Z ₂ can also be fixed. In this case, if the determination in step S116 is negative, step S111 of confirming the determination order can be skipped and the process proceeds directly to step S112. It should be noted that this embodiment uses only two hosts 40A, 40B as an example, but this embodiment is not limited to the number of hosts. For example, when there are more than three hosts, the processing module 850 generates a judgment sequence according to the depth value. If the position information M is located in the sub-picture corresponding to the current order, the determination process is stopped and the control signal of the pointing device 30 is output to the corresponding host through the connection interface of the corresponding sub-picture. If the position information is not within the sub-picture corresponding to the current order, the processing module 850 selects and determines the next order according to the determination order. If the current order is the last order, the processing module 850 selects the first order in the judgment order and reconfirm whether the position information M falls within the sub-picture corresponding to the first order.

This paragraph describes another embodiment in which the processing module 850 outputs the control signal of the pointing device 30. In this embodiment, the processing module 850 separately or sequentially determines whether the position information M falls into each sub-picture (for example, the first sub-picture f1 and the second sub-picture f2). When it is determined that the position information M falls into multiple sub-pictures at the same time, then the depth value of each sub-picture is compared to determine which sub-picture is output to the corresponding host position. Referring to FIG. 12, the processing module 850 confirms the position of the position information M in step S121. In step S122, the processing module 850 determines whether the position information M is within any sub-frame range in the integrated image F, such as f1 and f2. If the result of step S122 is no, return to S121 to reconfirm the position of the position information M. If the result of step S122 is yes, go to step S123. Step S123 determines whether the position information M is located in the overlapping area, such as the overlapping area A. If the step of S123 is no, it means that the position information M is only on one sub-screen and the position does not overlap with other sub-screens in the integrated image F, and then the process goes to step S124. Step S124 outputs a control signal to the host of the sub-picture where the corresponding position information M is located. For example, when the position information M in the control signal received from the pointing device 30 falls within a portion of the first sub-picture f1 that does not overlap with the second sub-picture f2, the processing module 850 transfers the control signal from the first connection interface 810 is output to the first host 40A connected to the first connection interface 810, so that the first host 40A can be controlled by the pointing device 30. Similarly, when the position information M falls in a part of the second sub-picture f2 that does not overlap with the first sub-picture f1, the processing module 850 outputs the control signal from the second connection interface 820 to the first connection interface 820 connected to the second The second host 40B enables the second host 40B to be controlled by the pointing device 30. If the step of S123 is yes, go to step S125. Step S125 The processing module 850 compares the priority of the depth value of each sub-picture in the overlapping area A, and then proceeds to step S126. Step S126 outputs a control signal to the host corresponding to the sub-picture with higher priority. For example, if the first depth value Z _{1 has} priority over the second depth value Z ₂ , the processing module 850 outputs a control signal from the first connection interface 810 to the first host 40A connected to the first connection interface 810, so that A host 40A can be controlled by the pointing device 30.

It should be noted that the way to determine the priority order is that the first depth value Z ₁ has the first order and the second depth value Z ₂ has the second order. The priority order is determined by the order or size of the first order and the second order. The size or sequence of the first sequence and the second sequence can be given by the operator, the processing module 850 or preset by the sequence of the connection interface. For example, it may be preset that the first order corresponding to the first connection interface 810 takes precedence over the second order corresponding to the second connection interface 820. But the method of judging the priority is not limited to this.

In addition, the priority order of the first order of the first depth value Z ₁ and the second order of the second depth value Z ₂ can be adjusted according to the operating conditions. For example, when the processing module 850 changes the output object of the control signal, the priority of the first order and the second order can also be adjusted accordingly. When the target of the processing module 850 outputting the control signal is switched from the first host 40A to the second host 40B, the second order will be adjusted from the first order to the first order. Or when the importance of the second image F40B transmitted by the second host 40B is greater than that of the first image F40A, the second order may take priority over the first order. The situation that affects the importance may be, for example, a program reminder message appears in the second host 40B or a program is running, or the operator is clicking on the content in the second sub-screen F40B corresponding to the second host 40B, such as an icon (Icon), But the situation that affects the importance is not limited to the above situation. In addition, the determination of the importance can be determined by the processing module 850, the first host 40A, the second host 40B, or the operator.

(1.1)

(1.2)FIG. 13A is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of outputting an integrated image F. FIG. In this embodiment, the first image F40A corresponds to the first coordinate, the second image F40B corresponds to the second coordinate, and the integrated image F corresponds to the integrated coordinate. The first coordinate can be converted between the first conversion and the integrated coordinates in the first sub-frame f1. The second coordinates can be converted to each other according to the second transformation and the integrated coordinates in the second sub-frame f2. Therefore, when the processing module 850 uses the first conversion and the second conversion respectively, the first image 40A and the second image 40B can be converted into the first sub-picture f1 and the second sub-picture f2, respectively. Specifically, the integrated image F may correspond to an integrated coordinate, and the integrated coordinate has a reference point P _M located in the upper left corner of the integrated image F, for example. A point Q on the integrated image F can be represented by the coordinate values (X _Q , Y _Q ) of the integrated coordinates. Horizontal _X-Q wherein the vertical distance from the representative point Q a distance reference point P _M, Y _Q Q representative point from the reference point P _M. In addition, referring to FIG. 13B, the first sub-picture f1 corresponding to the first image F40A has a reference point P ₁ such as the upper left corner of the first sub-picture f1. A point Q ₁ on the first sub-picture f1 can be used in the first coordinate The coordinate values (X _Q1 , Y _Q1 ) are used to represent. Wherein X _Q1 represents the horizontal distance of the point Q ₁ from the reference point P ₁ , and Y _Q1 represents the vertical distance of this point from the reference point P1. Reference point P _M reference points P ₁ and the horizontal distance and the vertical distance of △ X △ Y. Then, the integrated coordinates can be converted into the first coordinates according to formulas 1.1 and 1.2, but the conversion method is not limited to this. It should be noted that this embodiment is described using only the first screen area f1. However, this embodiment is not limited to the first screen area f1 and is not limited by the number of screen areas.

(1.1)

(1.2)

(2.1)

(2.2)14 is a schematic diagram of the corresponding conversion made when the processing module outputs the control signal to the host. Please refer to FIGS. 8 and 14, the first host 40A has a first image F40A. When the processing module 850 outputs the control signal from the first connection interface 810, the position information M corresponding to the integrated coordinate is converted into the first position information M'corresponding to the first coordinate according to the first conversion. Specifically, the received position information M from the pointing device 30 has coordinate values (X _M , Y _M ) in the integrated coordinates. This position information M is also located in the first sub-frame f1, so the coordinate value (X _M , Y _M ) can be converted into the coordinate value (X _M1 , Y _M1 ) corresponding to the first coordinate. When the switching device 800 outputs the control signal of the pointing device 30 from the first connection interface 810 to the first host 40A, the position information M will have the corresponding first position information M′ on the first image F40A of the first host 40A. At this time, the coordinate value (X _M1 , Y _M1 ) of the position information M at the first coordinate can correspond to the coordinate value (X _M1 ', Y _M1 ') of the first position information M'. This correspondence can also be scaled according to the ratio of the resolution W ₁ ×H _{1 of the} first sub-frame f1 to the resolution W ₁ '×H ₁ 'of the first image F40A, as in formulas 2.1 and 2.2, but the position information M The corresponding relationship with the first position information M'is not limited to this.

(2.1)

(2.2)

15 is a flowchart of an operation method of the switching device 800. Please refer to FIG. 15, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. The operation method includes the following steps. S151 receives images, specifically, connects to the first host 40A from the first connection interface 810 and receives the first image F40A, and connects to the second host 40B from the second connection interface 820 to receive the second image F40B. S152 receives the control signal. Specifically, the control module 830 is connected to the pointing device 30 and receives the control signal including the position information M. S153 generates the integrated image F. Specifically, the processing module 850 generates the integrated image F according to the first image F40A and the second image F40B. The integrated image includes a first sub-frame f1 corresponding to the first image F40A and a second sub-frame f2 corresponding to the second image F40B. The S154 processing module 850 assigns depth values to the first image F40A and the second image F40B, so that the first sub-picture f1 includes the first depth value Z ₁ and the second sub-picture f2 includes the second depth value Z ₂ . S155 outputs the integrated image F to the display device for display. S156 outputs a control signal to the host. Specifically, when the part of the first sub-picture f1 overlaps with the part of the second sub-picture f2, an overlapping area A is generated. When the position information M falls within the overlapping area A, the first depth value Z1 and the second depth value Z2 are referenced to decide to output the control signal from one of the first connection interface 810 and the second connection interface 820, by The index device 30 controls the corresponding host.

In summary, the switching device and system of the present invention can address the situation where the output images of multiple controlled computers displayed on the screen overlap, and use depth values and coordinate conversion to enable the operator to accurately control the controlled computer with the mouse .

The present invention has been described by the above-mentioned related embodiments, but the above-mentioned embodiments are only examples for implementing the present invention. It must be pointed out that the disclosed embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. On the contrary, the spirit and scope of modifications and equal settings included in the scope of the patent application are all included in the scope of the present invention.

1,1:A multi-picture system 10: display device 20: Multi-screen operation device 30: Pointing device 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D: host 210: Capture module 220,850: processing module 230,830: control module 240: Conversion module 800: switching device 810,820: connection interface 840: Video output interface F: Integrated image F40A, F40B: Video f1, f2: sprite M: Location information

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a multi-picture system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a multi-picture system.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an embodiment of an operation method.

4A and 4B are schematic diagrams of an embodiment of an output screen.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of another embodiment of the operation method.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the output screen.

7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of an embodiment of changing the screen arrangement.

8 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a switching device.

9 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the output screen.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing depth value information in an output screen.

11 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for determining position information of an index device.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for determining position information of an index device.

13A and 13B are schematic diagrams of coordinate conversion of output screens.

14 is a schematic diagram of the coordinate conversion of the index device.

15 is a flowchart of an embodiment of an operation method.

800: switching device

10: display device

30: Pointing device

40A, 40B: host

810,820: connection interface

830: control module

840: Video output interface

850: Processing module

Claims (21)

A switching device for multi-screen switching, including: A first connection interface to receive a first image; A second connection interface to receive a second image; An image output interface to output an integrated image; A control module, receiving a control signal, the control signal including a position information; and A processing module electrically connected to the first connection interface, the second connection interface, the image output interface and the control module, the processing module generating the integrated image according to the first image and the second image; Wherein, the integrated image includes a first sub-picture and a second sub-picture, the first sub-picture includes a first depth value, the second sub-picture includes a second depth value, and the first sub-picture corresponds to the The first image, the second sub-picture corresponds to the second image; Wherein, when a portion of the first sub-picture overlaps with a portion of the second sub-picture to produce an overlapping area, and the position information falls within the overlapping area, the processing module is based on the first depth value and the second depth The value outputs the control signal from one of the first connection interface and the second connection interface. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the processing module generates a judgment order according to the first depth value and the second depth value, and sequentially judges whether the position information falls into the first sub-order according to the judgment order Within the screen or within the second sub-screen; and when it is determined that the position information falls within the first sub-screen, the processing module stops subsequent judgments in the judgment sequence and connects the control signal from the first connection Interface output. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the processing module separately determines whether the position information falls into the first sub-picture or the second sub-picture, and when the position information falls into the first sub-picture and the first In the case of two sub-pictures, the processing module compares the priority order of the first depth value and the second depth value to decide to output the control signal from the first connection interface or the second connection interface. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the first image corresponds to a first coordinate, the second image corresponds to a second coordinate, and the integrated image corresponds to an integrated coordinate, and the first coordinate may follow a first coordinate A transformation is mutually converted with the integrated coordinates in the first sub-picture, and the second coordinate can be mutually converted according to a second transformation with the integrated coordinates in the second sub-picture. The switching device according to claim 4, wherein when the processing module outputs the control signal from the first connection interface, the processing module converts the position information corresponding to the integrated coordinate into the first conversion The first position information corresponding to one of the first coordinates. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the processing module determines that the overlapping area is displayed as the content of the first image or the second image according to a priority order of the first depth value and the second depth value; and When the overlapping area displays content corresponding to the first image, the processing module outputs the control signal from the first connection interface. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the processing module allocates a first size and a first position to the first image and a second size and a second position to the second image; The processing module determines the range and position of the first sub-picture according to the first size and the first position, and determines the range and position of the second sub-picture according to the second size and the second position. A control method of a switching device includes the following steps: Receiving a first image from a first connection interface; Receiving a second image from a second connection interface; Receiving a control signal, the control signal including a location information; An integrated image is generated according to the first image and the second image, wherein the integrated image includes a first sub-picture and a second sub-picture, the first sub-picture includes a first depth value, and the second sub-picture includes A second depth value, the first sub-picture corresponds to the first image, and the second sub-picture corresponds to the second image; Output the integrated image; and When the position information falls within an overlapping area, the control signal is determined to be output from one of the first connection interface and the second connection interface according to the first depth value and the second depth value, wherein the The portion of the first sub-picture overlaps the portion of the second sub-picture to be the overlapping area. The control method of the switching device according to claim 8, wherein the control signal output determination step includes: Judging the first depth value and the second depth value generates a judgment sequence; and Judging whether the position information falls into the first sub-picture or the second sub-picture according to the judgment order; Wherein, when it is determined that the position information falls within the first sub-picture, the subsequent determination in the determination sequence is stopped, and the control signal is output from the first connection interface. The control method of the switching device according to claim 8, wherein the control signal output determination step includes: Determine whether the location information falls within the first sub-picture or the second sub-picture; and When the position information falls into the first sub-picture and the second sub-picture at the same time, the priority order of the first depth value and the second depth value is compared, and the control signal is determined from the first order according to the priority order A connection interface or the second connection interface is output. The control method of the switching device according to claim 8, wherein the first image corresponds to a first coordinate, the second image corresponds to a second coordinate, the integrated image corresponds to an integrated coordinate, and the first coordinate may be The first transformation and the integrated coordinates in the first sub-frame are mutually converted. The second coordinate can be mutually converted according to a second transformation and the integrated coordinates in the second sub-frame. The integrated image generation step includes: Converting the first image to the first sub-picture according to the first conversion; and The second image is converted into the second sub-frame according to the second conversion. The control method of the switching device according to claim 11, wherein the control signal output determining step includes: Receiving the coordinate value of the position information at one of the integrated coordinates; Confirm that the control signal will be output from the first connection interface; Converting the coordinate value to the first position information corresponding to the first coordinate according to the first conversion; and The control signal is output from the first connection interface. The control method of the switching device according to claim 8 further includes the following steps: Confirm the priority of one of the first depth value and the second depth value; Displaying the content of the first image or the second image corresponding to the better priority in the overlapping area; and When the overlapping area displays the content corresponding to the first image, the control signal is output from the first connection interface. The control method of the switching device according to claim 8, wherein the integrated image generating step includes: Assign a first size and a first position to the first image; Assign a second size and a second position to the second image; Determine the range and position of the first sub-picture according to the first size and the first position; and The range and position of the second sub-picture are determined according to the second size and the second position. A switching system, including: A switching device; A first host is connected to the switching device and outputs a first image to the switching device; A second host is connected to the switching device and outputs a second image to the switching device, wherein the switching device generates an integrated image according to the first image and the second image; An indicator device, connected to the switching device, and outputting a control signal to the switching device, the control signal including position information; and A display device connected to the switching device, receiving and displaying the integrated image from the switching device; Wherein, the integrated image includes a first sub-picture and a second sub-picture, the first sub-picture includes a first depth value, the second sub-picture includes a second depth value, and the first sub-picture corresponds to the The first image, the second sub-picture corresponds to the second image; Wherein, when a portion of the first sub-picture overlaps with a portion of the second sub-picture to produce an overlapping area, and the position information falls within the overlapping area, the switching device refers to the first depth value and the first The two depth values determine to output the control signal of the index device to one of the first host and the second host. The switching system according to claim 15, wherein the switching device generates a judgment order according to the first depth value and the second depth value, and sequentially judges whether the position information falls into the first sub-picture according to the judgment order Or within the second sub-picture; and when it is determined that the position information falls within the first sub-picture, the switching device stops subsequent judgments in the judgment sequence and outputs the control signal of the pointing device to the The first host. The switching system according to claim 15, wherein the switching device determines whether the position information falls into the first sub-picture or the second sub-picture respectively, and when the position information falls into the first sub-picture and the second In the sub-picture, the switching device compares the priority order of the first depth value and the second depth value to decide to output the control signal of the index device to the first host or the second host. The switching system according to claim 15, wherein the first image corresponds to a first coordinate, the second image corresponds to a second coordinate, and the integrated image corresponds to an integrated coordinate, and the first coordinate can follow a first coordinate A transformation is mutually transformed with the integrated coordinates in the first sub-picture; the second coordinates can be mutually transformed according to a second transformation and the integrated coordinates in the second sub-picture. The switching system according to claim 15, wherein when the switching device outputs the control signal of the pointing device to the first host, the switching device converts the position information corresponding to the integrated coordinate according to the first conversion Is the first position information corresponding to one of the first coordinates. The switching system according to claim 19, wherein the switching device determines that the overlapping area is displayed as the content of the first image or the second image according to a priority order of the first depth value and the second depth value; and When the overlapping area displays content corresponding to the first image, the switching device outputs the control signal to the first host. The switching system according to claim 15, wherein the switching device allocates a first size and a first position to the first image, and the switching device allocates a second size and a second position to the second image; The switching device determines the range and position of the first sub-picture according to the first size and the first position, and the switching device determines the range and position of the second sub-picture according to the second size and the second position.

Images