Video interface circuit

• US 5,227,768 A
• Filed: 05/07/1991
• Issued: 07/13/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Plc
• Original Assignee: British Aerospace, Inc.
• Inventors: Beckett, Peter, Lumley, Jack B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberley, Alvin E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): STOLL, KARA FARNANDEZ
• Application Number:
  US07/697,024
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 340/789, 340/793, 340/717, 340/732, 340/703, 340/701
• US Class Current: 345/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/06 using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/74 for obtaining special effects H04N9/65 - H04N9/73 take precedence

Abstract

A video circuit which enables three full color VDU'"'"'s (6a, 6b, 6c) to be driven by only one color graphics generator (2). The Circuit has many uses including the generation of head down displays for flight simulators.

Claims

1. A video converter circuit responsive to a color graphics generator having red, green and blue video output channels each channel having a variable amplitude, said video converter circuit including:

a first circuit including assignment means, responsive to the instantaneous amplitude of video output in each channel, for assigning an instantaneous color value on each video channel; and

a second circuit includes conversion means, responsive to said instantaneous color values, for converting the assigned color values to red, green and blue video signals for connection to visual display units.

2. A video converter circuit as claimed in claim 1 in which the assignment means includes a three-channel analog to digital converter and a color palette.

3. A video converter circuit as claimed in claim 2 in which the color palette is controlled by a microprocessor.

4. A video converter circuit as claimed in claim 1 in which the conversion means includes a three-channel video digital to analogue converter.

5. A video converter circuit for utilizing a single graphics generator to drive at least two separate video display units where said at least two separate video display units have at least two different display formats, where said graphics generator supplies said at least two different display formats at respective graphics generator outputs, each display format on a different color channel, said video converter circuit comprising:

A-to-D converter, responsive to signal amplitude of each of said at least two formats from said graphics generator, for providing at least two digital outputs indicative of the instantaneous amplitudes of respective graphics generator formats;

a sync separator, responsive to a sync signal generated by said graphics generator, for providing synchronization signals;

a clock, responsive to a synchronization signal from said sync separator, for clocking said A-to-D converter;

assignment means, responsive to said at least two digital outputs of said A-to-D converter, for providing at least two corresponding instantaneous digital color outputs where each of said at least two color outputs is based upon instantaneous amplitudes of said at least two digital inputs;

a microprocessor, responsive to a synchronization signal from said sync separator, for controlling a digital color output to be supplied by said assignment means in response to each of said digital outputs of said A-to-D converter;

D-to-A converter means, responsive to a synchronization signal from said sync separator, a clock signal from said clock and said digital color outputs from said assignment means, for providing separate analog channel outputs, each corresponding to one of said at least two display formats, for driving each of said at least two video display units and providing an output synchronization signal for driving each of said at least two video display units.

6. The video converter circuit according to claim 5, wherein three separate formats are generated by said graphics generator, each of said separate formats on a respective different primary color output, said A-to-D converter is responsive to said three separate primary color outputs, said assignment means is responsive to digital indications of instantaneous amplitudes of each of said three primary colors, said assignment means providing separate digital outputs based upon colors chosen by said microprocessor to correspond to specific instantaneous amplitude values in a corresponding color channel, and said D-to-A converter is responsive to said three separate channels and provides three separate analog outputs to said corresponding three video display units.