Video image display and video camera for producing a mirror image

• US 5,532,741 A
• Filed: 05/17/1994
• Issued: 07/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RHOM Company Limited
• Original Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsutsumi, Kunihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US08/243,859
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 348/589, 348/600, 348/239, 348/14, 348/16, 348/583, 345/126, 345/141, 382/45, 382/44, 382/46
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

A serial pattern generator circuit for serially outputting a bit pattern corresponding to one line received in parallel from a character generator and, in response to a predetermined control signal, generating the serial bit pattern with an inverted bit sequence is disclosed. A combining circuit is provided for combining an output of the serial pattern generator circuit with a video signal of a displayed video image. A mirror image signal generator circuit responsive to an output signal of the combining circuit and the control signal is provided in order to generate a mirror image signal.

Claims

1. A video image display device including a memory, a character generator and a write circuit adapted to output a character pattern while superimposing it on a displayed video image, comprising:

a serial pattern generator circuit for outputting a serial bit pattern with normal bit sequence corresponding to one line received in parallel from said character generator and, in response to a control signal, generating serial bit pattern with inverted bit sequence;

a combining circuit for combining an output of said serial pattern generator circuit with a video signal of said display device; and

a mirror image signal generator circuit responsive to an output signal of said combining circuit and said control signal to generate a mirror image signal such that said serial bit pattern has a normal bit sequence;

wherein said serial pattern generator circuit comprises a mirror pattern generator circuit for generating, from said parallel bit pattern received from said character generator, a bit pattern having bit sequence reversed to bit significances of said parallel bit pattern; and

a parallel/serial conversion circuit responsive to said parallel bit pattern from said character generator as a first bit pattern and said bit sequence reversed bit pattern from said mirror pattern generator circuit as a second bit pattern to output said second bit pattern after conversion thereof into a second serial bit pattern when said control signal is received and output said first bit pattern after conversion thereof into a first serial bit pattern when said control signal is not received;

wherein said mirror pattern generator circuit comprises a set of wirings for reversing the significances of bits of said parallel bit pattern from said character generator and said parallel/serial conversion circuit includes a selector for receiving said first and second bit patterns in significance correspondence relation, respectively, and selecting either of said first or second bit pattern, to convert said selected parallel bit pattern into either said first or second serial bit pattern;

the video image display device further comprising a video camera, a liquid crystal display device for monitoring said video image obtained by said video camera, and a detector for detecting whether or not a shooting direction of said video camera coincides with a direction of a display screen of said liquid crystal display device;

wherein said control signal is generated from said detector when a coincidence is detected thereby; and

a microprocessor and a mirror flag memory circuit;

wherein said liquid crystal display device includes said mirror image signal generator circuit, said mirror image signal generator circuit generates said mirror image signal by inverting a scan direction of a signal corresponding to one horizontal line according to said control signal, said write circuit includes an address register for holding address data received from said microprocessor and outputting it to said memory and a data register for holding a character code received from said microprocessor and outputting it to said memory, said control signal output from said detector when the coincidence is detected is input to said microprocessor and said microprocessor sets a flag in said mirror flag memory circuit when a predetermined switch is not operated, and a selecting control signal for said selector is generated upon a logical product condition between said set flag and said control signal from said detector.

2. The video image display device claimed in claim 1, wherein said serial bit pattern with inverted bit sequence is obtained by generating respective bits constituting said parallel bit pattern corresponding to one line in a sequence opposite to the bit sequence of said serial bit pattern.

3. The video image display device claimed in claim 1, wherein said serial pattern generator circuit includes a reversible shift register for receiving said parallel bit pattern output from said character generator and outputting it as said serial bit pattern, said reversible shift register responds to said control signal to shift the parallel bit pattern in reverse direction to thereby outputs said serial bit pattern.

4. The video image display device claimed in claim 3, wherein said reversible shift register includes flip-flops equal in number to bits of said parallel bit pattern;

and a circuit for inputting a value 0 to a first one of said flip-flops in a shifting direction upon a shift is provided.