Video processing apparatus

• US 5,327,158 A
• Filed: 04/10/1991
• Issued: 07/05/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited, Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Nishiumi, Satoshi, Takahashi, Toyofumi, Otake, Masahiro, Miyoshi, Michitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Weldon, Ulysses
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US07/651,265
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 340/731, 340/725, 340/727, 340/735, 273/85 G, 273/434, 273/DIG. 28, 273/313, 358/22, 358/183, 345/126, 345/127, 345/129, 345/130, 345/114
• US Class Current: 463/33
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/02 Affine transformations for image registration G06T3/147; for image mosaicing G06T3/4038
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/391 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats
• 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

Abstract

A video processing apparatus includes a VRAM in which image data of an original background picture is stored. An address of the VRAM in a case where the original background picture is rotated and enlarged or reduced is calculated by a background picture address control circuit on the basis of constants set by a CPU. Color data of the background picture at the time of rotation processing and enlargement or reduction processing is read from the address of the VRAM, and a video signal is generated by the color data.

Claims

1. A video processing apparatus which displays a background picture, on display means having a display screen, composed of a plurality of pixels in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, respectively, comprising:

position data generating means for generating first position data representative of a position in said horizontal direction and said vertical direction on said display screen;

parameter data applying means for applying parameter data for rotation of said background picture, said parameter data being sequentially changed within an angular range by which said background picture is to be rotated;

position data operation means for operating on second position data after performing said rotation on said display screen on the basis of said first position data and said parameter data;

first storage means for storing a plurality of character codes representative of a plurality of characters each composed of a plurality of pixels, said position operation means operating on said second position data for each of said plurality of pixels;

first reading means for generating a reading address for reading said character code from said first storage means on the basis of said second position data operated on by said position data operation means;

second storage means for storing color data of respective pixels constituting said character, said character having a plurality of pixels;

second reading means for reading said color data from said second storage means on the basis of the character code read by said first reading means and said second position data; and

video signal generating means for generating a video signal on the basis of the color data read by said second reading means.

3. A video processing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 or 2, wherein said first reading means accesses said first storage means on the basis of a portion of said second position data, and said second reading means accesses said second storage means on the basis of said character data and a remaining portion of said second position data.

5. A video processing apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein said first position data generating means generates said first position data (x₁, y₁) represented by x₁ =H_p +H_c and y₁ =V_p +V_c when offset data in said horizontal direction and said vertical direction are H_p and V_p and position data of said pixel in said horizontal direction and said vertical direction are H_c and V_c.

8. A video processing apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein said operation means operates on said second position data (x₂, y₂) according to the following equations:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">x.sub.2 =A(H.sub.p -x.sub.0)+B(V.sub.p -y.sub.0)+x.sub.0 +A·

H.sub.c +B·

V.sub.c

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">y.sub.2 =C(H.sub.p -x.sub.0)+D(V.sub.p -y.sub.0)+x.sub.0 +C·

H.sub.c +D·

V.sub.c.

9. A video processing apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein said display means includes a raster scan display, said operation means performs terms "+A·

H_c " and "+C·

H_c " of said equations for each pixel during a horizontal scanning period of said raster scan display, and performs a remaining portion of said equations necessary for said horizontal scanning period during a horizontal blanking period before said horizontal scanning period.

2. A video processing apparatus for displaying a background picture, on display means having a display screen, composed of a plurality of pixels in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, respectively, comprising:

position data generating means for generating first position data representative of a position in said horizontal direction and said vertical direction on said display screen;

parameter data applying means for applying parameter data for at least one of rotation, enlargement and reduction of said background picture, said parameter data for rotation being sequentially changed within an angular range by which said background picture is to be rotated;

position data operation means for operating on second position data, on the basis of said first position data and said parameter data, after performing said at least one of rotation, enlargement and reduction on said display screen;

first storage means for storing a plurality of character codes representative of a plurality of characters each composed of a plurality of pixels, said position operation means operating on said second position data for each of said plurality of pixels;

first reading means for generating a reading address for reading said character code from said first storage means on the basis of said second position data operated on by said position data operation means;

second storage means for storing color data of respective pixels constituting said character, said character having a plurality of pixels;

second reading means for reading said color data from said second storage means on the basis of the character code read by said first reading means and said second position data; and

video signal generating means for generating a video signal on the basis of the color data read by said second reading means.

4. A video processing apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said parameter data applying means generates parameter data (A, B, C, D), and said position data generating means generates said first position data (x₀, y₀), and

said position data operation means includes center coordinate data generating means for generating center coordinate data (x₀, y₀) for at least one of said rotation, enlargement and reduction, and matrix operation means for performing a matrix operation according to the following equation on the basis of said first position data (x₁, y₁) and said center coordinate data (x₀, y₀) to evaluate said second position data (x₂, y₂) of the pixels after performing at least one of said rotation, enlargement and reduction on said display screen:

##EQU2## wherein, if a scaling factor in said horizontal direction for enlargement or reduction is α

, a scaling factor in said vertical direction for enlargement or reduction is β

, and an angle to be rotated is γ

, said parameter data A, B, C and D are respectively given by the following equations;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">A=1/α

·

cosγ

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">B=1/α

·

sinγ

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">C=-1/β

·

sinγ

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">D=1/β

·

cosγ

.

6. A video processing apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein said display means includes a raster scan display, and said operation means performs a portion of said matrix operation necessary for a next horizontal scanning period of said raster scan display during a horizontal blanking period and performs a remaining portion of said matrix operation operation during said next horizontal scanning period for each pixel.

7. A video processing apparatus in accordance with claim 6, wherein said first storage means including a storage area larger than a size of said display screen of said raster scan display, and

said data generating means includes means for generating data for designating character data of a character to be displayed out of the characters stored in said first storage means.

10. A video processing apparatus which displays a background picture, on a raster scan display having a display screen, composed of a plurality of pixels in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, respectively, comprising:

storage means for storing an image data of said background picture in an address corresponding to a display position of said background picture;

matrix operation means for performing a matrix operation for at least one of rotation, enlargement and reduction of said background picture, said matrix operation means performing an operation of a portion of said matrix operation necessary for a next horizontal scanning period of said raster scan display during a horizontal scanning period and an operation of a remaining portion of said matrix operation for each pixel during said next horizontal scanning period;

reading means for reading said image data from said storage means on the basis of operation results by said matrix operation means; and

video signal generating means for generating a video signal on the basis of the image data read by said reading means.

11. A video game system for playing video games which display both moving picture character symbols and a background picture, constituted by at least one of a plurality of background picture character symbols, and each of said character symbols being composed of a plurality of pixels, comprising:

a game machine including a central processing unit and a picture processing unit coupled to said central processing unit;

a game cartridge coupled in use to said game machine and including memory means for storing character data representative of a plurality of motion picture characters and background picture characters, and for storing at least one of rotation data, enlargement data, and reduction data respectively representative of an arbitrary rotation angle, enlargement rate, and reduction rate;

said central processing unit including means for accessing said memory means and for generating background picture processing parameters including at least one of a rotation parameter, enlargement parameter and reduction parameter necessary for operating on a background picture address on the basis of said rotation data, enlargement data, and reduction data;

said picture processing unit including a background picture address generating circuit for receiving said background picture processing parameters from said central processing unit and for calculating background picture address information for each of said plurality of pixels, whereby a background picture may be displayed in at least one of a rotated, enlarged, and reduced disposition.

12. A video game system in accordance with claim 11 further including a video memory having a first set of memory locations for storing data associated with a background picture to be displayed and a second set of memory locations for storing data associated with moving picture symbols to be displayed.

13. A video game system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said picture processing unit includes moving picture address control circuitry for receiving moving picture attribute data and for generating a video memory address for retrieving moving picture symbols to be displayed.

14. A video game system according to claim 13, said picture processing unit further including a moving picture processing circuit coupled to said moving picture address control circuitry for receiving and temporarily storing moving picture character symbol related data and a background picture processing circuit coupled to said background picture address control circuitry for receiving and temporarily storing background picture related data;

a priority circuit for determining priority between moving picture data received from said moving picture processing circuit and background picture data received from said background picture processing circuit and for outputting the higher priority data; and

video signal generating means, coupled to said priority circuit, for receiving data to be displayed from said priority circuit and for generating a video signal.

15. A video game signal according to claim 11, wherein said background picture address control circuit is coupled to central processing unit and includes register means for receiving said background picture processing parameters from said central processing unit.

16. A video game system according to claim 11, further including timing means for generating a plurality of timing signals, said background picture address control circuit includes a plurality of registers for storing at least rotation related address information, said registers being loaded in response to predetermined ones of said timing signals.

17. A video game system according to claim 11, wherein said background picture address control circuitry includes means for processing both background picture rotation and enlargement related address information.

18. A video game system according to claim 11, wherein said background picture address control circuitry includes means for processing both background picture rotation and reduction related address information.

19. A video game system according to claim 11, further including a video memory for storing data associated with a background picture to be displayed, wherein said background picture address control circuit calculates a video memory address in response to background picture offset data.

20. A video game system according to claim 11, further including a video memory for storing data associated with a background picture to be displayed, wherein said background picture address control circuit calculates a video memory address in response to background picture character flipping data.

21. A video game system according to claim 19, wherein said background picture offset data is stored in said memory means in said game cartridge.

22. A video game system according to claim 20, wherein said background picture character flipping data is stored in said memory means in said game cartridge.

23. A video game system according to claim 11, further including timing means for generating a first set of timing signals defining a preliminary processing time period during which no video signal is output from the picture processing unit and a second set of timing signals defining a real-time processing period during which a video signal is displayed, wherein said background picture address control circuit is operable to perform rotation related address processing in response to said second set of timing signals.

24. A video game system according to claim 23, wherein said background picture address control circuit is operable to calculate rotation related constants in response to said first set of timing signals.

25. A video game system according to claim 11, wherein said memory means in said game cartridge includes means for storing program information defining the type of character to be displayed, the time the character is to be displayed, and the coordinate position at which the character is to be displayed.

26. A video game system according to claim 11, wherein said memory means in said game cartridge includes means for storing:

character attribute data including character horizontal and vertical position data for designating character horizontal and vertical display positions, a character code for designating the type of character, character color data, a flip code for designating the display of a character reversed in the vertical and horizontal directions, and priority data for designating priority between a moving picture character and a background picture character.

27. A video game system according to claim 11 further including a video memory, wherein said memory means in said game cartridge includes means for storing character related data including color data, and a character code for designating which background character is to be written into said video memory and at which locations in the video memory that background character is to be written.