Still picture display apparatus and external memory cartridge used therefor

• US 5,453,763 A
• Filed: 03/18/1994
• Issued: 09/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Katsuya, Tanaka, Hideki, Yamato, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): WU, XIAO MIN
• Application Number:
  US08/215,977
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 345/192, 345/193, 345/185, 345/186, 345/196, 345/197, 345/200, 345/201, 345/202, 345/203, 273/DIG. 28, 273/434, 358/183, 348/589
• US Class Current: 345/532
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/222 Control of the character-code memory

Abstract

A still picture display apparatus comprises a VRAM and a character ROM. The VRAM is allocated first coordinate addresses corresponding to display positions of a raster scan type display, and a character code representing a character to be displayed is stored in each of the first coordinate addresses. The character ROM is divided into a plurality of storage areas, and dot data of the character is stored in an address designated by the above character code in each of the storage areas. An extended RAM is also allocated second coordinate addresses similarly to the VRAM, and modifying data (character modifying data and/or color modifying data) corresponding to the character code stored in the VRAM is stored in each of the second coordinate addresses. The modifying data is read out of the extended RAM and is loaded into a register and then, is applied as a higher order address of the character ROM to designate any one of the storage areas, and the character code read out of the VRAM is applied as a lower order address of the character ROM. Consequently, the dot data of the character corresponding to the character code is read out of the character ROM.

Claims

1. A still picture display apparatus for displaying a plurality of characters constituting a still picture on a screen of a scan type display in a text system, comprising:

a character storing device including a plurality of storage areas each designated by a higher order address and one of a plurality of character codes applied as a lower order address and storing dot data of a character;

a first writable/readable storing element having a plurality of first coordinate addresses each of which correspond to each display coordinate position on said scan type display and capable of writing or reading one of said character codes to or from each of the first coordinate addresses;

a second writable/readable storing element having a plurality of second coordinate addresses each of which correspond to each display coordinate position on said scan type display for storing in each of the second display coordinate addresses character modifying data;

a first writing device for writing into each of said addresses of said first writable/readable storing element character codes of desired characters to be displayed on the screen of said scan type display during a non-display period of said scan type display;

a second writing device for writing into each of said addresses of said second writable/readable storing element character modifying data corresponding to each character code written into said first writable/readable storing element;

a program storing element storing first program data for controlling said first writing device so as to write said character codes into said first writable/readable storing element for each display coordinate position of the scan type display, second program data for controlling said second writing device so as to write said character modifying data into said second writable/readable storing element for each display coordinate position of the scan type display, and third program data for controlling a second reading device and a first reading device so as to respectively read one of said character codes and one of said character modifying data out of corresponding first and second coordinate addresses of said first writable/readable storing element and said second writable/readable storing element for each desired character to be displayed;

said first reading device reading out character modifying data stored in said second writable/readable storing element during a display period of said scan type display;

said second reading device reading out a complete character code stored in said first writable/readable storing element during the display period of said scan type display;

a third reading device for reading out said dot data of the character by addressing said character storing device by said complete character code read out by said second reading device and said character modifying data read out by said first reading device; and

an output element for outputting a video signal for displaying said character on the basis of said dot data read out by said third reading device in synchronization with the scanning of said scan type display.

2. A still picture display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said character storing device stores said dot data as data which can designate colors of respective dots constituting said character, said second writable/readable storing element includes an address for further storing color modifying data for each of said second coordinate addresses corresponding to the display coordinate positions on said scan type display, and said second program data stored in said program storing element includes a program for writing said color modifying data into said second writable/readable storing element, and

said output element outputs a color video signal on the basis of the color modifying data read out of said second writable/readable storing element and said dot data read by said third reading device out of said character storing device.

3. The still picture display apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said character storing device, second writable/readable storing element, second writing device and first reading device are included in an external memory cartridge which is detachably mounted to a device including said first writable/readable storing element, first writing device, second reading device, third reading device and said output element.

4. The still picture display apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a device including said first writable/readable storing element, first writing device, second reading device, third reading device and output element;

an adaptor detachably mounted to said device and including said second writable/readable storing element, second writing device and first reading device, and

an external memory cartridge detachably mounted to said adaptor and including said character storing device, whereby different external memory cartridges can be mounted to said adaptor.

5. A still picture display apparatus as in claim 1 further including a central processing unit, a picture processing unit and a connector terminal element, said program storing element and said central processing unit being connected to the connector terminal element by a data bus and an address bus, said picture processing unit, which includes the first writing device, the second and third reading devices and said output element, being connected along with said first writable/readable storing element to the connector terminal element by another data bus and another address bus, whereby said central processing unit applies address data to the program memory for causing the program memory to control the first writing device to write said character code into said first writable/readable storing element.

6. A still picture display apparatus as in claim 5 wherein said second writing means is connected to the connector terminal element by said data bus and said address bus whereby said central processing unit applies address data to the program memory for causing the program memory to control the second writing means for writing data into the second writable/readable storing element.

7. A still picture display apparatus for displaying in colors a plurality of characters constituting a still picture on a screen of a scan type display in a text system, comprising:

a character storing device including a plurality of color data for each of the dots constituting a character stored in a storage position designated by one of a plurality of character codes for each of the storage positions and said character code being applied as an address;

a first writable/readable storing element having a plurality of first coordinate addresses, each of which corresponds to each display coordinate position on said scan type display and capable of writing or reading one of said character codes to or from each of the first coordinate addresses;

a second writable/readable storing element having a plurality of second coordinate addresses, each of which corresponds to each display coordinate position on said scan type display for storing in each of the second display coordinate addresses color modifying data for modifying said color data of said characters stored in said character storing device;

a first writing device for writing into each of said addresses of said first writable/readable storing element character codes of desired characters to be displayed on the screen of said scan type display during a non-display period of said scan type display;

a second writing device for writing into each of said addresses of said second writable/readable storing element color modifying data corresponding to each character code written into said first writable/readable storing element;

a program storing element storing first program data for controlling said first writing device so as to write said character codes into said first writable/readable storing element for each display coordinate position of the scan type display, second program data for controlling said second writing device so as to write said color modifying data into said second writable/readable storing element for each display coordinate position of the scan type display, and third program data for controlling a second reading device and a first reading device so as to respectively read one of said character codes and one of said color modifying data out of said first writable/readable storing element and said second writable/readable storing element for each desired character to be displayed;

said first reading device reading out color modifying data stored in said second writable/readable storing element during a display period of said scan type display;

said second reading device reading out a complete character code stored in said first writable/readable storing element during the display period of said scan type display;

a third reading device for reading out color data of the character corresponding to a character code stored in said character storing device on the basis of said complete character code; and

an output element for outputting a color video signal for displaying said character on the basis of said color data read out by said third reading device in synchronization with the scanning of said scan type display.

8. An external memory cartridge detachably mounted on a still picture display apparatus for displaying a plurality of characters constituting a still picture on a screen of a scan type display in a text system and the apparatus including a first writable/readable storing element having a plurality of first coordinate addresses, each of which corresponds to each display coordinate position on said scan type display and capable of writing or reading a character code to or from each of the first coordinate addresses, said external memory cartridge comprising:

a character storing device including a plurality of storage areas each designated by a higher order address and one of a plurality of character codes applied as a lower order address and storing dot data of a character;

a second writable/readable storing element having a plurality of second coordinate addresses, each of which corresponds to each display coordinate position on said scan type display for storing in each of the second display coordinate addresses character modifying data;

a program storing element storing first program data for controlling a first writing device so as to write said character codes into said first writable/readable storing element for each display coordinate position of the scan type display, second program data for controlling a second writing device so as to write said character modifying data into said second writable/readable storing element for each display coordinate position of the scan type display, third program data for controlling a second reading device and a first reading device so as to respectively read one of said character codes and one of said character modifying data out of corresponding first and second coordinate addresses of said first writable/readable storing element and said second writable/readable storing element for each desired character to be displayed, a character code of a desired character to be displayed on the screen of said scan type display being written into said first writable/readable storing element on the basis of said first program data during a non-display period of said scan type display;

said second writing device for writing into said second writable/readable storing element character modifying data corresponding to the desired character code written into said first writable/readable storing element on the basis of said second program data; and

said first reading device for reading out the character modifying data stored in said second writable/readable storing element on the basis of said third program data during a display period of said scan type display;

said still picture display apparatus further comprising a control element for reading out the character code stored in said first writable/readable storing element on the basis of said third program data during the display period of said scan type display and a third reading device for reading out said dot data of the character by addressing said character storing device by the lower order address provided by said character code read out by said second reading device and the higher address provided by said character modifying data read out by said first reading device, and an output element for outputting a video signal for displaying said desired character to be displayed on the basis of said dot data read out by said third reading device in synchronization with the scanning of said scan type display.

9. An external memory cartridge according to claim 8, wherein said character storing device stores said dot data as data which can designate colors of respective dots constituting said character, said second writable/readable storing element includes an address for further storing color modifying data for each of said second coordinate addresses corresponding to the display coordinate positions on said scan type display, and said second program data stored in said program storing element includes a program for writing said color modifying data into said second writable/readable storing element, and

said output element outputs a color video signal on the basis of the color modifying data read out of said second writable/readable storing element and said dot data read by said third reading device out of said character storing means.