Method and apparatus for controlling a multigradation display
First Claim
1. A multi-gradation display comprising:
- display means comprising a field of dots formed in a matrix for displaying an image,a plurality of parallel signal electrodes and a plurality of scan electrodes formed in orthogonal directions relative to each other, the cross points of said electrodes defining said field of dots,scan electrode driving means having a plurality of scan signal output terminals for sequentially supplying scan signals to respective scan electrodes,signal electrode driving means for selectively supplying data signals to respective signal electrodes,electrode driving means for activating selected dots to form said image across said matrix field of dots,said matrix field of dots divided into a plurality of defined virtual submatrices of different two dimensional size and forming a predetermined gradation pattern of N activated or nonactivated dots distributed within each of said defined virtual submatrices, each of said virtual submatrices having at least a different number of rows of dots in one of said orthogonal directions compared with other of said virtual submatrices,said electrode driving means comprising;
gradation data encoder means for designating a particular gradation for the display of the image,dot submatrix generating means comprising a plurality of submatrix generating circuits for respectively generating one of said virtual submatrices with said predetermined gradation pattern of N activated or nonactivated dots,output gate means for applying data signals for creating an activated dot gradation per respective submatrix addressed by said electrode driving means based upon on outputs of said gradation data encoder means and said dot submatrix generating means.
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Abstract
A multi-gradation display control method comprises activating selected dots in selected of a plurality of defined submatrices together constituting the entire dot matrix display, e.g., a two dimensional LCD panel, whereby a distribution of dispersion field of dots within defined submatrices are activated to display an image in multi-gradations. A defined dot submatrix has a predetermined distribution of individual activated or unactivated dots in a single frame to form a predefined gradation pattern. The predetermined distribution of dots is changed in succeeding frames of the entire dot matrix so that the dot positions activated or unactivated in a succeeding frame are not the same dot positions activated or unactivated in a previous frame. Preferably, the dot position activated in any given frame of a defined n dots by n dots submatrix are not adjacent to dot positions activated in a previous frame and are not adjacent to dot positions to be activated in a succeeding frame. At least two different two dimensional sizes of submatrices are provided to form a series of multi-gradations. As a result, defined dot matrices of different sizes are determined for different gradations wherein different gray scale representations can be produced without substantial pattern interference or objectionable fringes annoying to the naked eye.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A multi-gradation display comprising:
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display means comprising a field of dots formed in a matrix for displaying an image, a plurality of parallel signal electrodes and a plurality of scan electrodes formed in orthogonal directions relative to each other, the cross points of said electrodes defining said field of dots, scan electrode driving means having a plurality of scan signal output terminals for sequentially supplying scan signals to respective scan electrodes, signal electrode driving means for selectively supplying data signals to respective signal electrodes, electrode driving means for activating selected dots to form said image across said matrix field of dots, said matrix field of dots divided into a plurality of defined virtual submatrices of different two dimensional size and forming a predetermined gradation pattern of N activated or nonactivated dots distributed within each of said defined virtual submatrices, each of said virtual submatrices having at least a different number of rows of dots in one of said orthogonal directions compared with other of said virtual submatrices, said electrode driving means comprising; gradation data encoder means for designating a particular gradation for the display of the image, dot submatrix generating means comprising a plurality of submatrix generating circuits for respectively generating one of said virtual submatrices with said predetermined gradation pattern of N activated or nonactivated dots, output gate means for applying data signals for creating an activated dot gradation per respective submatrix addressed by said electrode driving means based upon on outputs of said gradation data encoder means and said dot submatrix generating means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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- 4. A multi-gradation scheme in a display apparatus for application to a plurality of two dimensional submatrices together forming a dot matrix display of an image to be displayed which is refreshed per frame addressing of the entire field of dots in the matrix display and comprising a series of gradation patterns for application to said submatrices wherein at least one of said submatrices is defined to have a different dimensional size along at least one m or n side thereof as compared to at least several others of said submatrices in the display wherein different sizes of said gradation patterns represent different gradation levels, said gradation patterns comprising a predetermined dot distribution of N activated or nonactivated dots within each of said submatrices, said predetermined dot distribution being laterally shift within each respective submatrix at least one dot position in each consecutive frame of display of said image.
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12. A method of controlling a multi-gradation display comprising a display matrix of dots in rows formed in orthogonal directions of the matrix and wherein dots are selectively activated or not activated to form a displayed image said method comprising the steps of
(a) dividing said display matrix into a plurality of virtual, two dimensional submatrices each comprising a plurality of display dots together which form the displayed image, (b) providing different orthogonal boundary sizes to said submatrices wherein each of the submatrices has a two dimensional size, of m dot rows in a first direction, X, by n dot rows in a second direction, Y, orthogonal to said first direction, X, and the size of at least some of said submatrices differing from the size of at least some of the others of said submatrices by at least a difference in the total number of dot rows in one of said orthogonal directions X or Y, (c) defining each of said submatrices of a given size, m by n, as a gradation level, wherein each such level comprises a pattern of N activated or nonactivated dots distributed throughout a given submatrix and accordingly activated or nonactivated within a single display frame of the image to be displayed, (d) dynamically selecting different gradation levels, g, to complete said formed display image according to the white, black and gray scale representations of portions of the image to be displayed, (e) sequentially shifting the pattern of distributed positions of N activated or nonactivated dots within each of the selected gradation levels, g, to new laterally disposed positions of N activated or unactivated dots within each of the selected gradation levels, g, over successive display frames of the displayed image until K display frames have transpired wherein K is equal to said dot rows total number in said one orthogonal direction relative to each of the selected gradation levels, g, and (f) repeating the N dot distributed position shifting of step (e) over successive groups of K display frames until the displayed image is changed to a different displayed image wherein steps (d), (e) and (f) are repeated until the displayed image is again changed.
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26. A method of controlling a display to provide multiple levels of gradation during displayed frames of an image on a dot matrix display comprising the steps of:
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dividing the dot matrix display into a plurality of two or more virtual dot submatrices each comprising a plurality of dot rows and columns, designating a number of gradation levels, g, of the image to be displayed relative to a group of said virtual dot submatrices individually differing from one another in at least one dimensional direction by the number of rows m or n, selecting different virtual dot submatrices from said group depending on the gradation level of the image to be displayed, activating a predetermined pattern of dots in each selected virtual dot submatrix according to designated gradation levels of the image to be displayed, laterally shifting the activated predetermined pattern of dots at least one dot position through the selected virtual dot submatrices in each display frame period, and continuing the lateral shifting and repeating the patterns of lateral shifting of the activated predetermined pattern of dots through the selected virtual dot submatrices in successive display frame periods until the image to be displayed is changed.
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27. A method of controlling multi-gradation relative to the display of dots in a matrix of columns and rows of dots forming a two-dimensional display of an image to be displayed per unit frame comprising the steps of:
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dividing the display dot matrix into a plurality of two dimensional dot submatrices differing from each other in their size in at least one orthogonal direction by the number of rows or columns determining their boundary size resulting in a different number of display dots per submatrix to respectively provide a different level of gradation, selecting different dot submatrices according to the gradation level of portions the image to be displayed, dynamically changing the arrangement of the different two dimensional dot submatrices across the dot matrix according to changes desired in the gradation level due to changes in the image to be displayed, determining a distribution and number of dots to be actuated throughout each selected dot submatrix per unit frame, and selectively actuating the determined distribution of dots in each dot submatrix to be displayed per unit frame, and laterally shifting the determined distribution of actuated dots within each dot submatrix in successive display frames of the image. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A multi-gradation display comprising:
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display means for displaying an image in a display frame period comprising a plurality of dots at the cross points of a plurality of spatially parallel signal electrodes 31 -3340 and a plurality of spatially parallel scan electrodes 21 -2200, scan electrode drive means 4 for supplying scan signals in sequential order to said scan electrodes, signal electrode drive means 5 for supplying data signals to said signal electrodes, said scan electrode drive means and signal electrode drive means together creative of dots at said scan electrodes and signal electrodes cross points where said scan and data signals are activated to form the displayed image, said signal electrode drive means 5 comprising gradation data decoder means 6 to provide for selection of gradation levels according to the gradation requirements of the displayed image, dot submatrix generating means 7 for respectively creating a series of two dimensional dot submatrices at least some of which differ in at least one dimensional direction each establishing a predetermined gradation level to be displayed, and output gate means GT1 -GT8 for applying data signals for creating an activated dot gradation per respective submatrix addressed by said signal electrode driving means based upon on outputs of said gradation data encoder means and said dot submatrix generating means. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
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Specification