EP0012420A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Methods of operating display devices and apparatus for performing the methods
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1979-12-10
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Granted: —
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Expires: 1999-12-10
Abstract
Abstract A method and means for creating the display illusion of 'roughness' or 'texture' in patterns suitable for an electrochromic display surface by assigning different colour values to pels (picture elements) in adjacent positions and then replicating the patterns automatically using the recurrent and sequential accessing of a concordance table. The real colour of each pel of a textured pattern is a joint function of a colour number stored in a refresh buffer driving the display surface for any given display matrix array pel position and the value of a predetermined subset of address bits which describe that pel position. The use of preselected pel position address bits for regulating texture is shown as applied to video lookup tables and refresh buffers as a single level control and additionally to two or more video lookup tables for achieving a pattern hierarchy. In the drawing the colour number is obtained from refresher buffer 9 and applied, together with the most significant bits of the address applied to the buffer, to i the store 19 containing the required colour values. The colour values are converted to analogue signals and used I to drive the electrochromic display device 29.
Inventors
- 👤 Glen George Langdon
- 👤 Patrick Edward Mantey
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 21:21
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09G; G09G3/00; G09G3/20; G09G3/34; G09G3/38; G06; G06T; G06T15/00; G06T15/50; G09G5/00; G09G5/02; G09G5/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
113 words
A method of forming a display on an electrochromic display surface of an input pattern, said method comprising establishing in storage an array of colour values such that when those values are used to control energization of an array of contiguous picture elements (pels) on the display surface, the display has the appearance of texture or roughness rather than flat colour uniformity; accessing the stored colour values in a sequence dependant on data representing incremental areas of the pattern to be displayed and on the address of the picture element (pel) on the display surface to be energized; and using the accessed colour values to control energization of the picture element being addressed.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
113 words
A method of forming a display on an electrochromic display surface of an input pattern, said method comprising establishing in storage an array of colour values such that when those values are used to control energization of an array of contiguous picture elements (pels) on the display surface, the display has the appearance of texture or roughness rather than flat colour uniformity; accessing the stored colour values in a sequence dependant on data representing incremental areas of the pattern to be displayed and on the address of the picture element (pel) on the display surface to be energized; and using the accessed colour values to control energization of the picture element being addressed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
104 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising storing in a refresher memory the data representing the pattern so that the addresses of picture elements on the display surface can also be used to address the refresher memory to access corresponding data items therefrom; using each of the addresses of a series-of picture elements of the display surface in a timed sequence to address both the picture elements and the refresher memory; and, in the same timed sequence, using the accessed data items in conjunction with parts of the picture element addresses to access the colour values from the array of colour values.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising dividing the array of colour values into addressable segments and using the picture element addresses to select the segments and the accessed data items to select colour values within the selected segments.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method as claimed in claim 2 or 3, further comprising addressing the display surface as an x y matrix and using the low or high order bits of the matrix address in accessing the stored colour values.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
162 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising establishing the array of colour values as two sub-arrays, the first sub-array storing values representing groups of incremental areas of the pattern to be displayed, each group comprising a different combination of colour values corresponding to the colour of the incremental areas comprised in the group, and the first sub-array being accessed, as aforesaid, in a sequence dependant on data respectively representing the colour of incremental areas of the pattern to be displayed and on a first part of the address of the picture element (pel) on the display surface to be energized; and the second sub-array storing values representing the combinations of colour values and being accessed in a sequence dependant on data respectively representing the colour of incremental areas of the pattern to be displayed, on the output of the first sub-array and on a second part of the address of the picture element (pel) on the display surface to be energized.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
141 words
A method of creating the display illusion of roughness or texture in colour patterns for an electrochromic display surface by positioning picture elements (pels) of different colour values in adjacent positions and then replicating the patterns automatically, the method steps comprising assigning a colour number k for each pattern to be displayed; creating a table in a memory associating a colour value v for the relative pel position h, j in the m x n pel array of the pattern having the address k, h, j, where 0 ≤ h ≤ m - 1, and 0 ≤ j ≤ n - 1; and reiteratively displaying the colour value v on the surface and accessing the table in the memory at the address k, h, j+I in order to obtain the colour value v' at the next successive display position h, j+1.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
141 words
A method of creating the display illusion of roughness or texture in colour patterns for an electrochromic display surface by positioning picture elements (pels) of different colour values in adjacent positions and then replicating the patterns automatically, the method steps comprising assigning a colour number k for each pattern to be displayed; creating a table in a memory associating a colour value v for the relative pel position h, j in the m x n pel array of the pattern having the address k, h, j, where 0 ≤ h ≤ m - 1, and 0 ≤ j ≤ n - 1; and reiteratively displaying the colour value v on the surface and accessing the table in the memory at the address k, h, j+I in order to obtain the colour value v' at the next successive display position h, j+1.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
118 words
A raster scanned graphics display system comprising: an electrochromic display means (27); first addressable memory means (10) storing a display image pel array of color numbers in memory locations corresponding to pel array positions; means (105, 5; 101, 103, 37; 105) for accessing the first memory for fetching colour numbers from consecutive locations in raster scan order; means (17, 19, 23; 5, 10; 17, 203) for deriving a colour value v as a joint function of the colour number k stored in any given location and the value of any subset of addressing bits from the accessing means defining the pel position; and means (29, 31; 20, 27; 27) for applying the colour value to the display means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
118 words
A raster scanned graphics display system comprising: an electrochromic display means (27); first addressable memory means (10) storing a display image pel array of color numbers in memory locations corresponding to pel array positions; means (105, 5; 101, 103, 37; 105) for accessing the first memory for fetching colour numbers from consecutive locations in raster scan order; means (17, 19, 23; 5, 10; 17, 203) for deriving a colour value v as a joint function of the colour number k stored in any given location and the value of any subset of addressing bits from the accessing means defining the pel position; and means (29, 31; 20, 27; 27) for applying the colour value to the display means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
58 words
A raster scanned graphics display system as claimed in claims 7, in which the means for deriving a colour value v include a second addressable memory means (20) for storing colour values at locations whose addresses are defined by the colour number k and a subset of the address bits from the accessing means defining the pel position.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
186 words
A raster scanned graphics display system including an electrochromic display means (27); a refresh buffer memory means (10) for storing a display image pel array of colour numbers k at counterpart addressable locations; and means (101, 103, 105) for accessing the colour numbers from the refresh memory in raster scan order; said system being characterised by comprising first means (201) for deriving a selection signal (k 2 ) indicative of a superpattern as a joint function of the colour number k accessed from the refresh buffer and a first predetermined subset of address bits (x n-2 , x n-3 , y n-2 , y n-3 ) from the accessing means defining the pel array position of k; second means (203) for deriving a colour value v indicative of a selected subpattern as a joint function of the colour number k from the first means, a second predetermined subset of address bits (x n-1 , y n-1 ) from the accessing means defining the pel array position of k, and the selection signal (k 2 ); and means for applying the colour value to the display means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
186 words
A raster scanned graphics display system including an electrochromic display means (27); a refresh buffer memory means (10) for storing a display image pel array of colour numbers k at counterpart addressable locations; and means (101, 103, 105) for accessing the colour numbers from the refresh memory in raster scan order; said system being characterised by comprising first means (201) for deriving a selection signal (k 2 ) indicative of a superpattern as a joint function of the colour number k accessed from the refresh buffer and a first predetermined subset of address bits (x n-2 , x n-3 , y n-2 , y n-3 ) from the accessing means defining the pel array position of k; second means (203) for deriving a colour value v indicative of a selected subpattern as a joint function of the colour number k from the first means, a second predetermined subset of address bits (x n-1 , y n-1 ) from the accessing means defining the pel array position of k, and the selection signal (k 2 ); and means for applying the colour value to the display means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
160 words
A raster scanned graphics display system including an electrochromic display means (27); a refresh buffer memory means (10) for storing a display image pel array of colour numbers k at counterpart addressable locations; means (1,3,5) for accessing the colour numbers k from the refresh memory in raster scanned order at an array address defined by the contents of a first register means (101,103); and means (20, 25) for deriving a colour value v from a corresponding colour number k accessed from the refresh buffer and applying said colour value v to the display means; said system being characterised by comprising a second register means (107) for storing texture information; and in that the accessing means includes means (35) for deriving a colour number k as a joint function of the first register contents and a predetermined subset of address bits and for inserting said derived color number at a refresh buffer memory location defined by the first register means contents.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
160 words
A raster scanned graphics display system including an electrochromic display means (27); a refresh buffer memory means (10) for storing a display image pel array of colour numbers k at counterpart addressable locations; means (1,3,5) for accessing the colour numbers k from the refresh memory in raster scanned order at an array address defined by the contents of a first register means (101,103); and means (20, 25) for deriving a colour value v from a corresponding colour number k accessed from the refresh buffer and applying said colour value v to the display means; said system being characterised by comprising a second register means (107) for storing texture information; and in that the accessing means includes means (35) for deriving a colour number k as a joint function of the first register contents and a predetermined subset of address bits and for inserting said derived color number at a refresh buffer memory location defined by the first register means contents.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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