Apparatus for carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures and method of doing the same

• US 20020067418A1
• Filed: 12/05/2001
• Published: 06/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: I, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 6,784,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.01
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/10 Special adaptations of display systems for operation with variable images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/395 Arrangements specially adapted for transferring the contents of the bit-mapped memory to the screen G09G5/399 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing

Abstract

An apparatus for carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, includes (a) a judgment unit which judges whether a picture to be displayed is a still or moving picture, (b) a memory which stores first data about first and second pictures to be processed, and second data indicative of a ratio at which pixels of the first and second pictures are blended, (c) a still picture processor which blends color-relating values of the pixels in a portion at which the first and second pictures overlap each other, at the ratio, for producing third data relating to a translucent picture, and stores the thus produced third data in the memory, and (d) a moving picture processor which blends color-relating values of the pixels in a portion at which the first and second pictures overlap each other, at the ratio, for producing fourth data relating to a translucent picture.

Claims

1. An apparatus for carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, including a moving picture processor for carrying out α

-blending process to a moving picture to be displayed, and a still picture processor for carrying out α

-blending process to a still picture to be displayed.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said still picture processor carries out said α

-blending process to a still picture only when said still picture is updated.

3. An apparatus for carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, comprising:

(a) a judgment unit which judges whether a picture to be displayed is a still or moving picture, and transmits a judgment signal accordingly;

(b) a memory which stores first data about first and second pictures to be processed, and second data indicative of a ratio at which pixels of said first and second pictures are blended;

(c) a still picture processor which, when said judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a still picture, blends color-relating values of said pixels in a portion at which said first and second pictures overlap each other, at said ratio, for producing third data relating to a translucent picture, and stores the thus produced third data in said memory; and

(d) a moving picture processor which, when said judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a moving picture, blends color-relating values of said pixels in a portion at which said first and second pictures overlap each other, at said ratio, for producing fourth data relating to a translucent picture.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said still picture processor carries out translucent-processing to said still picture only when said still picture is updated.

5. An apparatus for carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, comprising:

(a) a central processing unit which judges whether a picture to be displayed is a still or moving picture, and transmits a judgment signal accordingly;

(b) a memory which stores first data about first and second pictures to be processed, and second data indicative of a ratio at which pixels of said first and second pictures are blended;

(c) a video interface through which video data is input into said apparatus;

(d) a digital differential analysis circuit electrically connected between said central processing unit and said memory;

(e) a texture mapping circuit electrically connected between said central processing unit and said memory;

(f) a bit-block transferring circuit for transferring a bit block between said central processing unit and said memory;

(g) a display macro circuit which controls picture-displaying;

(h) a still picture processor which, when said judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a still picture, blends color-relating values of said pixels in a portion at which said first and second pictures overlap each other, at said ratio, for producing third data relating to a translucent picture, and stores the thus produced third data in said memory, said still picture processor being equipped in said bit-block transferring circuit; and

(i) a moving picture processor which, when said judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a moving picture, blends color-relating values of said pixels in a portion at which said first and second pictures overlap each other, at said ratio, for producing fourth data relating to a translucent picture, said moving picture processor being equipped in said display macro circuit.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said still picture processor carries out translucent-processing in a period of time equal to a time necessary for transferring rectangular picture data.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said still picture processor carries out translucent-processing to said still picture only when said still picture is updated.

8. An apparatus for carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, comprising:

(a) a central processing unit which judges whether a picture to be displayed is a still or moving picture, and transmits a judgment signal accordingly;

(b) a memory which stores first data about first and second pictures to be processed, and second data indicative of a ratio at which pixels of said first and second pictures are blended;

(c) a video interface through which video data is input into said apparatus;

(d) a digital differential analysis circuit electrically connected between said central processing unit and said memory;

(e) a texture mapping circuit electrically connected between said central processing unit and said memory;

(f) a bit-block transferring circuit for transferring a bit block between said central processing unit and said memory;

(g) a display macro circuit which controls picture-displaying;

(h) a still picture processor which, when said judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a still picture, blends color-relating values of said pixels in a portion at which said first and second pictures overlap each other, at said ratio, for producing third data relating to a translucent picture, and stores the thus produced third data in said memory, said still picture processor being equipped in said texture mapping circuit; and

(i) a moving picture processor which, when said judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a moving picture, blends color-relating values of said pixels in a portion at which said first and second pictures overlap each other, at said ratio, for producing fourth data relating to a translucent picture, said moving picture processor being equipped in said display macro circuit.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein said still picture processor carries out translucent-processing to said still picture only when said still picture is updated.

10. A method of carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, comprising the steps of:

carrying out α

-blending process to a moving picture to be displayed, in accordance with first steps; and

carrying out α

-blending process to a still picture to be displayed, in accordance with second steps.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said α

-blending process is carried out to said still picture only when said still picture is updated.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein said step (c) is carried out only when said still picture is updated.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14, further comprising:

(e) reading said first and second data again out of said memory;

(f) transmitting said first and second data for displaying pictures expressed by said first and second data; and

(g) repeating said steps (e) and (f) until said still picture is updated.

12. A method of carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, comprising the steps of:

(a) judging whether a picture to be displayed is a still or moving picture;

(b) storing first data about first and second pictures to be processed, and second data indicative of a ratio at which pixels of said first and second pictures are blended, into a memory;

(c) when said picture to be processed is a still picture, blending color-relating values of said pixels in a portion at which said first and second pictures overlap each other, at said ratio, for producing third data relating to a translucent picture, and storing the thus produced third data in said memory; and

(d) when said judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a moving picture, blending color-relating values of said pixels in a portion at which said first and second pictures overlap each other, at said ratio, for producing fourth data relating to a translucent picture.

14. A method of carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving first data of a still picture, second data of a still picture, third data of a moving picture, fourth data of a moving picture, and α

-blending ratio α

, and storing them into a memory;

(b) reading said first and second data and said blending ratio α

out of said memory;

(c) carrying out α

-blending process to both said first and second data, and said third and fourth data independently of each other; and

(d) storing said first and second data into said memory.