Image display method, image display system, host device, image display device and display interface

• US 20010038387A1
• Filed: 11/29/2000
• Published: 11/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mamiya, Johji, Yamauchi, Kazushi, Tomooka, Takatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,877,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/520
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/045 using multiple communication channels, e.g. parallel and serial
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3644 with the matrix divided into sections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3666 with the matrix divided into sections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0008 Synchronisation information channels, e.g. clock distribution lines

Abstract

To achieve a transfer of image data of large capacity from a host system side to a display side and a transfer of a far small quantity of data from the display side to the host system side with the maximum efficiency.

An image display method which transfers image data between a host system side executing an application and a display side displaying an image, which includes the steps of: managing image data by the host system side, which belongs to a window in accordance with a sub-area obtained by dividing a display area of the display side, the window that is a region making sense in an image space of which the application is conscious; transferring the image data as a unit of a packet to the display side via the digital I/F; developing the image data transferred in a panel memory of the display side; grasping conditions concerning a transfer error in a unit of a window; and grasping the conditions of the transfer error through a signal line by the host system side.

Claims

1. An interface method for transferring image data between a host system for executing an application and a display connected to the host system, comprising the steps of:

managing image data by the host system, belonging to a window in accordance with a sub-area obtained by dividing a display area of the display, for the window that is a region making sense in an image space of which the application is conscious;

transferring the image data managed by the host system as a packet unit to the display via the interface;

developing the image data, transferred to the display via the interface, in a panel memory of the display, and grasping conditions of a transfer error in the transferred image data in a unit of the window; and

grasping by the host system the conditions grasped through the display.

2. The interface method according to

claim 1

, wherein a re-transfer of the image data from the host system to the display through the interface is executed based on the conditions of the transfer error grasped by the host system.

3. The interface method according to

claim 2

, wherein the re-transfer of the image data is executed for image data of all sub areas belonging to the window, and developing in the panel memory is again executed only for a sub area in which the transfer error occurred.

4. The interface method according to

claim 2

, wherein the re-transfer of the image data is executed for a sub area in which the transfer error is grasped.

5. An image display system comprising:

a host system for executing an application;

a display for displaying an image, the display being connected to the host system; and

an interface for connecting the host system and the display to each other, wherein the interface has a first interface for executing a transfer of a large capacity of data from the host system to the display and a second interface for executing a transfer of a small capacity of data from the display to the host system, which is not zero but smaller than the quantity of data transferred by the first interface.

6. The image display system according to

claim 5

, wherein the first interface transfers the data after packetizing the data, and the second interface transfers the data used for an error handling among the data transferred by the first interface.

7. The image display system according to

claim 5

, wherein the host system transfers image data before developing through the first interface, and the display includes a panel memory for developing the image data transferred through the first interface, and transfers information relating to a transfer error through the second interface, which occurred in transferring the image data developed in the panel memory.

8. The image display system according to

claim 5

,

wherein the first interface includes a bi-directional high speed transfer line, and transfers the data in synchronization with high speed clock signals obtained by multiplying clock signals, and

the second interface transfers the data in synchronization with clock signals which are not multiplied for the bi-directional high speed transfer line used for the first interface.

9. The image display system according to

claim 5

,

wherein the first interface includes a uni-directional high speed transfer line, and

the second interface includes a bi-directional low speed transfer line.

10. A host device connected to a display for displaying an image through an interface, comprising:

a system bus for receiving image data from an application executed; and

transfer means for dividing the image data received through the system bus so that each of the divided image data corresponds to a corresponding sub area obtained by parceling a display area of the display, and for transferring each of the divided image data in the form of packet after packetizing each of the divided image data as a unit.

11. The host device according to

claim 10

, wherein the system bus receives the image data in accordance with a window that is a region making sense collectively in an image space of which the application is conscious, and the transfer means transfers the image data to the display so that each of the divided image data corresponds to the corresponding sub area belonging to the window.

12. A host device which executes an application and is connected to a display for displaying an image through an interface, comprising:

image data transfer means for transferring image data to the display after packetizing the image data into a unit so as to correspond to a predetermined area obtained by parceling a window that is a display area making sense collectively in an image space of which the application is conscious; and

error condition receiving means for receiving error conditions with reference to the image data transferred to the display by the image data transfer means, in the form of a predetermined collective unit from the display.

13. The host device according to

claim 12

, wherein the predetermined collective unit with which the error condition receiving means receives the error conditions is a unit of the window developed by the display.

14. The host device according to

claim 12

, wherein the image transfer means re-transfers the image data based on the error conditions received by the error condition receiving means.

15. An image display device comprising:

a panel for displaying an image;

receiving means for receiving image data through a first interface from a host system which executes an application, the first interface transferring a large quantity of image data; and

notifying means for notifying information indicating a transfer error with respect to the image data received by the receiving means to the host system through a second interface transferring a smaller quantity of image data than the first interface.

16. The image display device according to

claim 15

,

the image display device further comprising:

a panel memory for developing the image data received by the receiving means,

wherein the notifying means notifies collectively the information relating to the transfer error in a unit with which a refreshment of the panel is performed using the image data developed in the panel memory.

17. The image display device according to

claim 15

, wherein the notifying means notifies information indicating the transfer error when a still picture is displayed in the panel, and does not notify the information indicating the transfer error when a moving picture is displayed in the panel.

18. An image display device comprising:

a panel for displaying an image;

receiving means for receiving image data packetized from a host system which executes an application;

a panel memory for developing the image data received by the receiving means; and

transfer error notifying means for recognizing a transfer error with respect to the image data received by the receiving means, and for notifying information relating to the transfer error to the host system, the transfer error being recognized in a unit developed in the panel memory.

19. The image display device according to

claim 18

, wherein the transfer error notifying means comprises an identification information storing section for storing identification information of the image data which caused the transfer error and notifies the identification information stored in the identification information storing section to the host system.

20. The image display device according to

claim 19

, wherein the identification information storing section has error address registers for identifying a packet received and a pointer register indicating the number of the error address registers.

21. A display interface which transfers image data from a host system for executing an application to a display for executing an image display, comprising:

variable-length packet data for transferring image data obtained by dividing an image space, of which the application is conscious, into a predetermined unit, the image data being packetized; and

a control line for indicating a valid packet period in the variable-length packet data.

22. The display interface according to

claim 21

, wherein the control line uses an enable signal including predetermined bits in the interface for transferring the packet data.

23. A display interface which transfers image data for each sub area belonging to a window to a display, the image data being transferred after making the image data have a packet structure and the window being a region making sense collectively in an image space of which an application is conscious, wherein the packet structure comprises:

a header portion including information indicating which window the packet belongs to;

a body portion including image data belonging to the sub area for the display and information relating to an address of the sub area; and

a footer portion including information for confirming a transfer error.

24. The display interface according to

claim 23

, wherein the header portion includes information for identifying whether the packet indicates a re-transfer for transferring the image data again.

25. The display interface according to

claim 23

, wherein the footer portion has a bit array for confirming a transfer error.