Background picture display apparatus and external storage used therefor

• US 5,371,512 A
• Filed: 11/13/1991
• Issued: 12/06/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited, 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): GOON, GIN F
• Application Number:
  US07/792,206
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 340/721, 340/726, 340/747, 340/725, 273/437, 358/183, 358/22, 345/115, 345/114, 345/113, 345/116, 345/121, 345/122, 345/123, 345/133
• US Class Current: 345/634
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/203 Image generating hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/222 Control of the character-code memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/74 for obtaining special effects H04N9/65 - H04N9/73 take precedence

Abstract

A background picture display apparatus includes a microprocessor and an external storage unit, and dot data, character designating data and mode data are programmed in advance in a ROM in the external storage unit. Character designating data constituting background screens designated by the mode data and dot data of the respective characters used in the background screens are loaded in a RAM, that is, a screen RAM and a character RAM by a microprocessor. The character designating data is read from the screen RAM, and the dot data of the character is read from the character RAM. The dot data is converted into serial data by a parallel-serial conversion circuit, and a dot data combination circuit generates a color code for each background screen by combining the dot data and applies the same to a color generation circuit.

Claims

1. A background picture display apparatus for displaying on a raster scan type display a background picture in which N characters and M characters each comprising a predetermined number of dots which are respectively arranged in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction to represent one background screen and a plurality of background screens constitute one scene, comprising:

mode data generation means for generating mode data for designating for each scene the number of background screens and the number of cells used in each of the background screens;

character pattern data storage means for storing pattern data of a plurality of characters which display one scene with two or more cells per one dot for each of said respective characters;

character designating data storage means having a storage area which can store character designating data for designating N×

M characters for each of the background screens whose number can be designated by said mode data generation means;

parallel-serial conversion means provided in the number associated with the number of the background screens and the number of the cells designated by said mode data generation means, each of said parallel-serial conversion means temporarily storing the pattern data corresponding to the number of dots in the horizontal direction of one character in a bit parallel fashion and outputting the same in a bit serial fashion;

first reading means for reading the character designating data in synchronization with horizontal scanning of said display;

second reading means for reading from said character pattern storage means in synchronization with horizontal scanning of said display and on the basis of the character designating data read from said character designating data storage means applying the same to the parallel-serial conversion means; and

video signal generation means for generating a video signal color data designated by the cells of the background screen outputted from said parallel-serial conversion means, wherein

the number of background screens in each scene and the number of colors usable in each of the background screens can be arbitrarily set by said mode data.

2. A background picture display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said character designating data storaqe means includes priority data for determining priority, and further comprising priority means for selecting color data of each of the background screens outputted from said parallel-serial conversion means by priority on the basis of said priority data and applying the same to said video signal generation means.

3. A background picture display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said character designating data storage means includes first nonvolatile storage means for fixedly storing all character designating data used in a plurality of scenes, and first temporary storage means into which all character designating data constituting at least one background screen to be displayed in one scene, which are read from the first nonvolatile storage means and are designated by said mode data, are written, and

said character-pattern storage means includes second nonvolatile storage means for fixedly storing dot pattern data of all characters used in a plurality of scenes, and second temporary storage means into which dot pattern data of characters, which are read from the second nonvolatile storage means and are to be displayed in one scene, are written,

said first reading means reading the character designating data stored in said first temporary storage means, and

said second reading means reading the dot pattern data stored in said second temporary storage means.

4. A background picture display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising timing signal generation means, said timing signal generation means including first clock signal generation means for generating a low speed clock signal, second clock signal generation means for generating a high speed clock signal, and means for selecting said low speed clock signal or said high speed clock signal on the basis of said mode data and applying the same to the parallel-serial conversion means.

5. An external storage unit used for a background picture display apparatus for displaying on a raster scan type display a background picture in which N characters and M characters each comprising a predetermined number of dots which are respectively arranged in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction to represent one background screen and a plurality of background screens constitute one scene, comprising:

program data storage means for storing program data required to display said background picture, said program data storage means including a mode data storage area for storing mode data for designating the number of background screens constituting said scene and the number of cells used in each of the background screens, a dot data storage area for storing dot data of a plurality of characters each comprising not less than two cells per dot, a character designating data storage area having a storage area which can store a maximum of N×

M characters and their display positions for each of the background screens whose number can be designated by said mode data, and a transfer program data storage area for storing program data for transferring said mode data, said dot data and said character designating data,

wherein said background picture display apparatus comprising a writable/readable memory, data transfer means for transferring said character designating data and said dot data to said writable/readable memory on the basis of said transfer program data stored in said program data storage means, mode data reading means for reading said mode data from said mode data storage area, first reading means for reading the character designating data from said writable/readable memory in synchronization with horizontal scanning of said raster scan type display, second reading means for reading from said writable/readable memory the dot data of each of the characters designated by said character designating data in synchronization with horizontal scanning of said raster scan type display, parallel-serial conversion means for temporarily storing the dot data read by said second reading means for each predetermined number in a bit parallel fashion and outputting the same in a bit serial fashion, output means for outputting dot data for each background screen designated by the mode data from said mode data reading means by combining the dot data outputted from said parallel-serial conversion means, and video signal generation means for generating a video signal on the basis of the dot data for each background screen outputted from said output means, whereby

the number of background screens in each scene displayed in said background picture display apparatus and the number of colors usable in each of the background screens are arbitrarily set by previously writing the mode data into said mode data storage area in said program data storage means.