JP2004020921A - Display controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display controller which controls luminance of an arbitrary area on a screen. <P>SOLUTION: The display controller 10 reads out image data written on a VRAM 11 by a display position control part 21 and inputs image data to an image composition part 30 for each layer while inputting a control signal for controlling a display position to the image composition part. Meanwhile, the display controller 10 inputs read image data and its display position information to an image data discrimination part 27. The image data discrimination part determines whether each pixel is a luminance control object pixel or not on the basis of a color code and display position information of the pixel included in image data and inputs an H signal to a luminance control part 40 for a control object pixel. The luminance control part corrects the value of RGB data of the luminance control object pixel out of data for display inputted from the image composition part in accordance with an input signal from the image data discrimination part and then inputs data for display to a display device 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a display control device that realizes an image effect by luminance control.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a display control device, a color code as color information included in each pixel data constituting image data is converted into RGB data representing respective luminances of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). It is known to convert the image data and input the converted image data to a display device such as a liquid crystal display. In this type of display control device, the color code of each pixel is generally converted into RGB data using a color look-up table indicating the correspondence between the color code and the RGB data.
[0003]
In such a display control device, a method of controlling the luminance of a display image by rewriting a color look-up table and realizing image effects such as fade-in and fade-out on a screen of the display device is widely adopted. . This display control device controls the luminance of the pixels corresponding to each color code by updating the RGB data corresponding to the color code in the color lookup table in a predetermined pattern in accordance with the image effect applied to the display image. Thus, the image effect is realized on the screen of the display device.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional apparatus, since the correspondence between the color code and the RGB data is changed to realize the image effect, even if the image effect can be applied to the image area represented by the specific color, the display color is not changed. Irrespective of this, it has not been possible to control the luminance of an arbitrary region of the display image and apply image effects such as fade-in and fade-out to that region.
[0005]
That is, in the related art, by combining image data using a plurality of color look-up tables and a plurality of layers, it is possible to limit the region to which an image effect is applied and control the brightness of the display image in units of layers. However, it has not been possible to control the brightness of a display image on a screen in pixel units.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and has as its object to provide a display control device capable of controlling the luminance of an arbitrary area on a screen.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the display control device according to claim 1, the data conversion means has a luminance information for each pixel based on image data acquired from outside by the image data acquisition means. The data is generated, and the brightness control input means determines the brightness control target pixel of the display data, changes the brightness information based on the determination result, and inputs the changed display data to the display means. The brightness of the display image based on the application data can be controlled in pixel units, and the brightness of an arbitrary area on the screen can be adjusted.
[0008]
In other words, according to the display control device of the first aspect, a condition for a luminance control target pixel is determined in advance, and the luminance control input unit determines the luminance control target pixel based on the condition. Image effects such as fade-in and fade-out can be applied to the display image in an arbitrary area.
[0009]
In the display control device according to the first aspect, the brightness control input means acquires information on at least one of a display position and a display color of a pixel to be a brightness control target from outside, as described in the second aspect. It is preferable to determine whether or not each pixel is a luminance control target pixel based on the information.
[0010]
In the display control device according to the second aspect configured as described above, by inputting information on the display position and / or the display color to the luminance control input means, the luminance control input means is externally operated. be able to. In other words, according to the display control device of the second aspect, the luminance control target pixel can be easily changed by inputting the information, and the luminance of the display image of an arbitrary color and an arbitrary position can be controlled in units of pixels. The input means can be controlled.
[0011]
For example, by inputting information about the display position to the brightness control input means, only the brightness of the image displayed at the display position can be controlled by the brightness control input means, and an image effect can be applied only to that image. In addition, by inputting information about the display color to the brightness control input means, when the brightness control is not performed, the brightness control input means controls only the brightness of the image displayed in that color, and the image effect is applied only to the image. Can be applied. Further, by inputting information on the display position and the display color to the luminance control input means, it is possible to selectively control only the luminance of the image represented by the specific color at the specific position by the luminance control input means.
[0012]
In addition, the brightness control input means may be configured to change the brightness information so that the brightness of the display image corresponding to the brightness control target pixel changes with time in a predetermined pattern. According to the display control device of the third aspect configured as described above, the target region of the luminance control is limited in more detail than the conventional device, and the region is temporally continuous such as fade-in and fade-out. Image effects that need to change brightness can be applied. The display control device may be configured to realize either one of fade-in and fade-out, or may be configured to switch and execute one of fade-in and fade-out according to an external command. It may be.
[0013]
According to the display control device of the fourth aspect, since the brightness control input means is configured to be able to change the brightness information in a plurality of patterns in accordance with an external command, the brightness control input means can be externally provided. By operating, various image effects such as fade-in and fade-out can be realized in various patterns. Therefore, according to this display control device, various visual effects can be exerted on the user.
[0014]
Further, when the data conversion means in the display control device is configured to generate display data having RGB data for each pixel based on the image data acquired by the image data acquisition means, The brightness control input means may be specifically configured as described in claim 5.
[0015]
In the display control device according to the fifth aspect, the luminance control input means is configured to correct the value of the RGB data of the luminance control target pixel based on the determination result. That is, in the display control device, the luminance information is changed by correcting the values of the RGB data.
[0016]
As is well known, the RGB data includes values of respective luminances of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) called three primary colors of light, such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), a liquid crystal display, and a plasma. It is used when drawing an image on a display device such as a display.
[0017]
In a general display control device, in order to render an image on the display device, it is necessary to convert each pixel data constituting the image data into RGB data using a color lookup table or the like. If the brightness control input means is configured to control the brightness of the display image by correcting each value of the RGB data corresponding to the target pixel, the configuration of the conventional device is not greatly changed, and Item 4 can realize the display control device according to any one of Items 4.
[0018]
In addition, it is preferable that the data conversion unit is configured to be able to generate display data based on the plurality of image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit. In the display control device according to claim 6 having such a configuration, it is possible to generate display data by combining a plurality of image data and display an image based on the display data on the screen of the display device. In addition to image effects by brightness control, various visual effects can be given to the user in various forms.
[0019]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a display control device 10 according to the present embodiment to which the present invention is applied.
The display control device 10 of the present embodiment is applied to the car navigation system 1, and is configured to perform display control of an image based on image data written in the VRAM 11 from the CPU 5 of the navigation control unit 3.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1, the display control device 10 includes a VRAM 11, a color look-up table 13 (hereinafter, referred to as “CLUT”), a display control unit 20, an image combining unit 30, a luminance control unit 40, and the like. I have. The display control device 10 is connected to the CPU 5 of the navigation control unit 3 via a bus (not shown), and each unit in the device operates based on a command signal from the CPU 5 of the navigation control unit 3. I have. Further, a display device 50 (such as a liquid crystal display) is connected to the display control device 10 via a circuit such as a D / A converter (not shown) on the output side of the luminance control unit 40. The display device 50 performs image display in an RGB color system, and emits light having a luminance corresponding to each of R, G, and B values included in the RGB data in the display data input from the luminance control unit 40. Is output from the screen, and the image is drawn on the screen.
[0021]
The VRAM 11 functions as an image data storage memory that stores various image data such as map image data written by the CPU 5 of the navigation control unit 3, image data representing cursors and switches, and image data for displaying a menu screen. . The image data written into the VRAM 11 is in a bitmap format, and includes pixel data in which a color code or the like as color information is described for each pixel.
[0022]
On the other hand, the CLUT 13 stores a table representing the correspondence between the color system adopted in the image data stored in the VRAM 11 and the RGB color system. Pixel data constituting the image data will be described later. The color conversion unit 31 is provided for the purpose of converting into RGB data. Specifically, the CLUT 13 stores RGB data as color data in association with a color code (see FIG. 1). The RGB data has a value (a 6-bit value in this embodiment) for each of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) as luminance information.
[0023]
The display control unit 20 includes a display position control unit 21, a synchronization signal generation unit 25, an image data determination unit 27, and the like.
The display position control unit 21 is configured to read and acquire various image data from the VRAM 11 based on a synchronization signal and a timing signal generated from the synchronization signal generation unit 25. The display position control unit 21 sends a control signal for controlling the display position of the image based on the read image data to the image synthesizing unit 30 according to the display position information written from the navigation control unit 3 to the display position information storage unit 22. , The image data is converted into serial data by a PS (parallel-serial) converter 23, and the data is input to the image synthesizer 30 for each layer such as a map image layer, a cursor layer, and a switch layer. The CPU 5 of the navigation control unit 3 sets the display position of an image based on the image data written in the VRAM 11 in the display position control unit 21 by inputting the display position information to the display position control unit 21. Is configured.
[0024]
In addition, when a brightness control command signal is input from the CPU 5 of the navigation control unit 3, the display position control unit 21 according to the present embodiment determines each pixel data constituting the image data read from the VRAM 11 and the display position of the image data. Is input to the image data discriminating section 27.
[0025]
On the other hand, the synchronizing signal generation unit 25 generates a vertical synchronizing signal, a horizontal synchronizing signal, a horizontal display timing signal, and the like based on the clock signal from the navigation control unit 3, and outputs these signals to each unit in the display control device 10. Is configured to be input. The display control unit 20, the image synthesizing unit 30, and the luminance control unit 40 in the device are configured to operate in synchronization with each other based on these signals. , These signals are collectively referred to simply as a “synchronization signal”.), And the image is scanned on the screen, and an image based on the display data input from the luminance control unit 40 is drawn on the screen. ing.
[0026]
Note that, as is well known, the vertical synchronization signal is a pulse signal for measuring a vertical scanning timing when an image in a frame unit is drawn on the display device 50. When the vertical synchronization frequency, which is the frequency of the vertical synchronization signal, is f (Hz), the display device 50 is configured to render an image for one frame every 1 / f second of the pulse signal. As is well known, the horizontal synchronizing signal is a pulse signal for measuring a horizontal scanning timing when an image in a frame unit is drawn on the display device 50. An image for one line is drawn on the display device 50 for each cycle of the pulse signal. In addition, the horizontal display timing signal is a pulse signal for measuring output timing for each pixel.
[0027]
Next, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the image data determination unit 27 and data input to and output from the image data determination unit 27.
The image data determination unit 27 has a condition storage unit 28, and registers determination conditions for determining a luminance control target pixel in the condition storage unit 28 according to the condition data input from the CPU 5 of the navigation control unit 3. It is configured to be. Further, the image data determination unit 27 determines, for each pixel, whether each pixel of the input image data is a pixel whose brightness is to be controlled, according to the determination condition registered in the condition storage unit 28, and performs brightness control. If the pixel is not a target pixel, an L (low) signal is input to the target determination unit 41 of the luminance control unit 40. If the pixel is a luminance control target pixel, an H (high) signal is input to the target determination unit 41 of the luminance control unit 40. It is configured to be.
[0028]
More specifically, the image data determination unit 27 sets a display position condition for determining a pixel displayed at a position to be subjected to luminance control according to the condition data indicating a display position and a display color of a pixel to be subjected to luminance control. Based on the registered display position conditions and the display position information of the image data, it is determined whether or not each pixel data constituting the image data is pixel data to be displayed at a position to be subjected to luminance control.
[0029]
Further, the image data determination unit 27 registers a display color condition for determining a pixel to be displayed in a color to be subjected to luminance control according to the above condition data, and stores the display color condition and a color included in each pixel data. Based on the code, it is determined whether or not each pixel data is pixel data displayed in a color whose brightness is to be controlled. Then, when the determined pixel satisfies the above-mentioned condition as the pixel to be subjected to the brightness control, an H signal is output in accordance with the synchronization signal, and otherwise, an L signal is output. Note that the image data determination unit 27 is configured to always output an L signal when a luminance control start command signal is not input from the CPU 5 of the navigation control unit 3. Hereinafter, the H / L signal output from the image data determination unit 27 is referred to as an “enable signal”.
[0030]
The image synthesizing unit 30 performs RGB conversion of the image data of each layer input from the display control unit 20 based on the CLUT 13 by the color conversion unit 31, and collectively converts a plurality of image data after the conversion. It is configured to generate one display data. At this time, the image synthesizing unit 30 converts the color code as each pixel data constituting the image data into RGB data based on the CLUT 13, and displays the layer image that is the uppermost layer in the area where the display position overlaps on the screen. The display data is generated so as to be displayed on the. That is, when generating display data based on n + 1 pieces of image data from layer 0 to layer n, the image synthesis unit 30 gives the highest priority to layer n, which is the uppermost layer in the area where the display positions overlap. Generate display data to be displayed on the screen.
[0031]
Thereafter, the image synthesizing unit 30 inputs the display data to the brightness control unit 40 in a serial format. That is, the image synthesizing unit 30 sequentially inputs the RGB data as the pixel data constituting the display data to the target determination unit 41 of the luminance control unit 40 in accordance with the synchronization signal.
[0032]
On the other hand, the brightness control unit 40 includes a target determination unit 41, a brightness correction unit 43, a brightness correction control unit 45, and the like.
Based on the enable signal from the image data determination unit 27, the target determination unit 41 determines whether each of the RGB data input from the image synthesis unit 30 is pixel data to be subjected to luminance control, and If the data is pixel data, the RGB data is input to the luminance correction unit 43, and the luminance data is corrected by the luminance correction unit 43, and the corrected RGB data is transmitted to the display device 50 in accordance with the synchronization signal. It is configured to be entered. In addition, the target determination unit 41 is configured to input the RGB data to the display device 50 without correcting the RGB data unless the RGB data is pixel data to be subjected to luminance control.
[0033]
Here, FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the display data and the enable signal input to the target determination unit 41. FIG. 4 shows an operation mode of the target determination unit 41 when an L signal is input as an enable signal (FIG. 4A), and an operation mode of the target determination unit 41 when an H signal is input (FIG. 4A). It is an explanatory view showing (b) of FIG.
[0034]
The output of the enable signal by the image data determination unit 27 described above is performed in synchronization with the input timing of the RGB data output from the image synthesis unit 30 to the brightness control unit 40, and the H signal is the RGB signal of the brightness control target pixel. At the timing when the data is input from the image synthesis unit 30 to the brightness control unit 40, the data is input to the target determination unit 41 of the brightness control unit 40.
[0035]
As shown in FIG. 4A, when RGB data is input from the image synthesis unit 30 in a state where the L signal is input from the image data determination unit 27, the target determination unit 41 outputs the RGB data as it is. I do. On the other hand, when the H signal is input from the image data determination unit 27, the target determination unit 41 inputs the RGB data input from the image synthesis unit 30 to the luminance correction unit 43 at that timing, and The RGB data is output to the display device 50 (see FIG. 4B).
[0036]
On the other hand, when the RGB data is input from the target determination unit 41, the brightness correction unit 43 uses the correction coefficient A input from the brightness correction control unit 45 to convert the value of the RGB data input from the target determination unit 41. It is configured to correct. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the RGB data (R, G, B) is input from the target determination unit 41, the brightness correction unit 43 converts the values of R, G, and B into: The output data (AR, AG, AB) is generated by multiplying the correction coefficient A, and the output data (AR, AG, AB) is converted to the corrected RGB data. Is input to the target determination unit 41. FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation mode of the luminance correction unit 43 and the luminance correction control unit 45.
[0037]
Further, the luminance correction control unit 45 calculates a correction coefficient A for each frame rendering cycle (1 / f second) according to a command signal input from the CPU 5 of the navigation control unit 3, and calculates the correction coefficient A after the calculation. Is input to the luminance correction unit 43.
That is, the luminance correction control unit 45 acquires the N value relating to the duration of the image effect from the CPU 5 of the navigation control unit 3 together with the fade-in / fade-out start command, and, when the N value is acquired, stores it in the condition storage unit. In accordance with the N value stored in the condition storage unit 46, a correction coefficient A is calculated so that the fade-in or fade-out is completed in N frames, and the correction coefficient A is calculated in accordance with the vertical synchronizing signal. Input to the section 43.
[0038]
For example, when a fade-out command signal is input from the CPU 5 of the navigation control unit 3, the brightness correction control unit 45 changes the correction coefficient A from the value 1 for each frame rendering period, as shown in FIG. The value is reduced by 1 / N and input to the brightness correction unit 43. Therefore, in the case of fade-out, the value 1 is input to the luminance correction unit 43 as the correction coefficient A in the start frame (the 0th frame), and the value 1-n / N is input as the correction coefficient A in the nth frame. , The value 0 is input to the luminance correction unit 43 as the correction coefficient A in the N-th frame.
[0039]
On the other hand, when a fade-in command signal is input from the CPU 5 of the navigation control unit 3, the brightness correction control unit 45 increases the correction coefficient A by 1 / N from the value 0 for each frame rendering cycle. Is input to the brightness correction unit 43. That is, in the start frame (the 0th frame), the value 0 is input as the correction coefficient A to the luminance correction unit 43, and in the nth frame, the value n / N is input as the correction coefficient A, and the Nth frame is input. In the frame, the value 1 is input to the luminance correction unit 43 as the correction coefficient A.
[0040]
Therefore, when performing the fade-out, the luminance correction unit 43 converts the RGB data (R, G, B) input from the image synthesis unit 30 from the values (R, G, B) to (R, G, B) in N / f seconds. (0, 0, 0) and input this to the display device 50. As a result, on the screen of the display device 50, the image constituted by the luminance control target pixels is drawn so as to disappear as time passes.
[0041]
On the other hand, when performing the fade-in, the brightness correction unit 43 converts the RGB data (R, G, B) input from the image synthesis unit 30 from the value (0, 0, 0) in N / f seconds. The value is changed to (R, G, B) and output to the display device 50. As a result, on the screen of the display device 50, the image constituted by the luminance control target pixels is drawn so as to emerge from the screen over time.
[0042]
The display control device 10 according to the present embodiment has been described above. According to the display control device 10, the image data discriminating unit 27 includes the display position information of the image data and the color code of each pixel constituting the image data. Based on the above, each pixel of the display data output from the image synthesizing unit 30 is configured to determine whether or not the pixel is a luminance control target pixel. Therefore, the color lookup table is rewritten as in the related art. Without this, it is possible to control the brightness of an arbitrary region of the display image in pixel units.
[0043]
Further, in the display control device 10 of the present embodiment, since the luminance of an arbitrary area can be controlled without rewriting the color look-up table, the luminance is controlled by combining images with layers or the like as in the related art. There is no necessity, and processing for that can be omitted. Therefore, an image based on the image data can be drawn on the display device 50 by performing luminance control at a higher speed than in the related art.
[0044]
In addition, in the display control device 10 of the present embodiment, the duration of the fade-in and fade-out can be changed by inputting a command signal from the navigation control unit 3 side, and image effects are applied to the display image in a plurality of patterns. be able to. Therefore, according to the display control device 10, various effects can be performed on the screen and a visual effect can be given to the user in various forms. Further, in the display control device 10 of the present embodiment, image effects that cannot be realized by the conventional device can be realized on the screen by the brightness control in units of pixels, and a visual effect different from the conventional one can be given to the user. it can.
[0045]
Note that the image data acquisition unit of the present invention corresponds to the display position control unit 21 that reads out image data from the VRAM 11. The data conversion means combines the image data of each layer output from the display control unit 20 while performing RGB conversion in the color conversion unit 31, thereby displaying data having RGB data as luminance information for each pixel. Corresponds to the image synthesis unit 30 that generates
[0046]
In addition, the brightness control input means determines whether each pixel of the image data is a pixel to be subjected to brightness control based on condition data input from the outside, and causes each pixel of display data obtained from the image data to be a target of brightness control. An image data discriminating unit 27 that can discriminate whether the pixel is a pixel, and a value of RGB data included in the display data is corrected based on an enable signal as a discrimination result. The brightness control unit 40 inputs data to a display device 50 as a display unit.
[0047]
The operation of the brightness control input means for changing the brightness information so that the brightness of the display image changes with time in a predetermined pattern is performed by the brightness correction control unit 45 in accordance with a predetermined function in accordance with the frame rendering cycle. The coefficient A is calculated, the luminance correction unit 43 gradually changes the correction ratio of the RGB data for each frame based on the correction coefficient A, and the luminance control unit 40 performs fade-in or fade-out by these operations. This is realized by the operation of controlling the luminance in a pattern that can be expressed.
[0048]
As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can take various aspects.
In the display control device 10 of the above embodiment, the functions of the respective units of the present invention are realized by hardware using a dedicated LSI, but the functions of the respective units of the present invention are implemented by a general-purpose computer (CPU). The display control device of the present invention may be configured by executing a program for realizing the display control device.
[0049]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the method of setting the RGB data values to zero when performing fade-out has been described in order to easily explain the configuration of the display control device 10. However, a known image transmission or semi-transmission technique is used. If used, it is possible to configure the display control device of the present invention such that an image of the lower layer is drawn in the area of the luminance control target pixel after fading out.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a display control device 10 according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image data determination unit 27 and data input to and output from the image data determination unit 27.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a timing of an enable signal input to a target determination unit 41.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation mode of a target determination unit 41.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation mode of a brightness correction unit 43 and a brightness correction control unit 45.
[Explanation of symbols]
3 Navigation control unit, 5 CPU, 10 display control device, 11 VRAM, 13 CLUT, 20 display control unit, 21 display position control unit, 22 display position information storage unit, 23 PS conversion unit , 25: Synchronization signal generator, 27: Image data discriminator, 28, 46 ... Condition storage, 30 ... Image synthesizer, 31 ... Color converter, 40 ... Luminance controller, 41 ... Object discriminator, 43 ... Luminance Correction unit, 45: brightness correction control unit, 50: display device

Claims (6)

Image data acquisition means for acquiring image data from outside,
Data conversion means for generating display data having luminance information for each pixel based on the image data obtained by the image data obtaining means,
Determining whether each pixel of the display data generated by the data conversion means is a pixel to be subjected to brightness control, and changing the brightness information included in the display data based on the determination result; Brightness control input means for inputting the display data after the change to the display means,
A display control device comprising: The brightness control input means is configured to determine whether or not each of the pixels is a brightness control target pixel based on information regarding at least one of a display position and a display color of a pixel to be brightness control input externally input. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein: The method according to claim 1, wherein the luminance control input unit changes the luminance information such that luminance of a display image corresponding to a luminance control target pixel changes with time in a predetermined pattern. The display control device according to the above. 4. The display control device according to claim 3, wherein the luminance control input unit is configured to change the luminance information in a plurality of the patterns according to an external command. 5. The data conversion unit is configured to generate the display data having RGB data for each pixel based on the image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit,
5. The luminance control input unit according to claim 1, wherein the luminance information is changed by correcting a value of RGB data of a luminance control target pixel based on the determination result. 6. 3. The display control device according to 1. 6. The data conversion unit according to claim 1, wherein the display data is generated based on a plurality of image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit. The display control device according to any one of the above.

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