Video overlay image processing apparatus
First Claim
1. In a system for producing, controlling and manipulating a background image and a first overlay image for simultaneous display on a raster-type display device,a first addressable memory means for storing data representing the density pattern of said overlay image at a plurality of points along each of the raster lines of said raster-type display device;
- a register means for storing data representing a color to be used in displaying said overlay image;
a proportional mixer means, having a first input coupled to said first memory means to receive said overlay image density data, having a second input coupled to receive said background image as data representing said background image at said plurality of points along each of the raster lines of said raster-type display device, having a register input coupled to receive color data from said register, and having a display output for connection to said display device, for producing in response to said first, second and register inputs a composite display output image having said overlay image in said selected color mixed into said background image at each of said plurality of points in proportion to the density of color represented by said overlay image density data;
a second addressable memory means for storing a second image as data representing said second image at said plurality of points along each of the raster lines of said raster-type display device, said second addressable memory means being coupled to said second mixer input to supply said second image as said background image, and being coupled to said mixer display output to store said output image therefrom as a succeeding second image;
first clock-driven address generator means coupled to each of said memory, register, and mixer means to synchronously cause;
(1) said overlay and background image data to be serially presented at said first and second mixer inputs, respectively, and (2) said display output image data to be serially stored in said second memory means.
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Abstract
A predominatly hardware-based system for rapidly generating overlay images by painting techniques using a host computer with appropriate graphics-generation operator interface, and for manipulating overlay images with respect to a background image. The system provides for rapid, convenient control of such imaging aspects as color alteration, repositioning the overlays on the background, and predetermining the amount of mask protection to be associated with each image pixel. The system can be readily realized, using available integrated crcuits, in the form of a host-computer plug-in accessory. A bidirectional multiple bus structure serves to interconnect the circuit boards, permitting convenient host-software-controlled configuration of the system.
113 Citations
31 Claims
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1. In a system for producing, controlling and manipulating a background image and a first overlay image for simultaneous display on a raster-type display device,
a first addressable memory means for storing data representing the density pattern of said overlay image at a plurality of points along each of the raster lines of said raster-type display device; -
a register means for storing data representing a color to be used in displaying said overlay image; a proportional mixer means, having a first input coupled to said first memory means to receive said overlay image density data, having a second input coupled to receive said background image as data representing said background image at said plurality of points along each of the raster lines of said raster-type display device, having a register input coupled to receive color data from said register, and having a display output for connection to said display device, for producing in response to said first, second and register inputs a composite display output image having said overlay image in said selected color mixed into said background image at each of said plurality of points in proportion to the density of color represented by said overlay image density data; a second addressable memory means for storing a second image as data representing said second image at said plurality of points along each of the raster lines of said raster-type display device, said second addressable memory means being coupled to said second mixer input to supply said second image as said background image, and being coupled to said mixer display output to store said output image therefrom as a succeeding second image; first clock-driven address generator means coupled to each of said memory, register, and mixer means to synchronously cause;
(1) said overlay and background image data to be serially presented at said first and second mixer inputs, respectively, and (2) said display output image data to be serially stored in said second memory means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. In a system for producing, controlling and manipulating a background image and a first overlay image for simultaneous display on a raster-type display device,
a first addressable memory means for storing data representing said background image at a plurality of points along each of the raster lines of said raster-type display device; -
a second addressable memory means for storing data representing said overlay image at said plurality of points along each of the raster lines of said raster-type display device; a third addressable memory means for storing data representing the density pattern of said overlay image at said plurality of points along each of the raster lines of said raster-type display device; a proportional mixer means, having a background input coupled to said first memory means to receive said background image data, having an overlay input coupled to said second memory means to receive said overlay image data, having a weight input coupled to said third memory means to receive said overlay-image density pattern data, and having a display output for connection to said display device, for producing in response to said background, overlay and weight inputs a composite display output image having said overlay image mixed into said background image at each of said plurality of points in proportion to the density represented by said overlay-image density pattern data; said first addressable memory means coupled to said mixer background input is further coupled to said mixer display output to store said output image therefrom as a succeeding background image; first clock-driven address generator means coupled to each of said memory and mixer means to synchronously cause;
(1) said background and overlay image and density pattern data to be serially presented at said overlay, background, and weight mixer inputs, respectively, and, on user command, (2) said display output image data to be serially stored in said first memory means. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification