System and method for dynamically adjusting display resolution of computer generated displays

• US 5,612,715 A
• Filed: 04/18/1995
• Issued: 03/18/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Jinichi, Karaki, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Application Number:
  US08/426,459
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 345/132, 345/119, 345/120, 345/115, 348/565, 348/564, 359/128, 359/132
• US Class Current: 345/698
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0442 Handling or displaying different aspect ratios, or changing the aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/02 Graphics controller able to handle multiple formats, e.g. input or output formats
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/18 Use of a frame buffer in a display terminal, inclusive of the display panel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A computer system that supports an advanced operating system and advanced application programs that create high resolution images for display and further supports old operating system and application software that run as subordinate processes to the advanced operating system of the computer and which create low resolution images for display, wherein images from both the advanced and old software are displayed, at high resolution, simultaneously on the computer system'"'"'s display device, typically in separate windows, has a high resolution graphics control pathway and a low resolution graphics control pathway, both for displaying images over the entire viewable area of a display device. In this way, when one of the images seen in a high resolution window is an image generated by software that only produces enough data to drive a low resolution display, that image can be redisplayed at the resolution that it was originally intended to be displayed at, in order to see that image more clearly.

Claims

1. A computer system having a dynamically adjustable display resolution for computer generated displays, comprising:

a) a multi-scan type monitor having at least high and low deflection frequencies which correspond to at least high and low resolution synchronizing signals, respectively, said multi-scan type monitor having a viewable area;

b) a main operating system means for controlling formation of a first image on the entire viewable area of said multi-scan type monitor, said first image including at least one window, and for associating a minor operating system means to said window, said minor operating system means being executed as a subordinate process of said main operating system means, wherein said first image has a resolution of M×

N where M and N are integers;

c) said minor operating system means controlling formation of a second image, wherein said second image corresponds to image data in said window of said first image and has a resolution of P×

Q, where P and Q are integers, P is less than M, and Q is less than N; and

d) a display switching means, coupled to said multi-scan type monitor and to said main operating system means, for switching dynamically between said first image and said second image, wherein said display switching means comprises a means for generating the low resolution synchronizing signal when said P×

Q resolution image is displayed on the entire viewable area of said multi-scan type monitor with said P×

Q resolution, and generating the high resolution synchronizing signal when said M×

N resolution image is displayed on the entire viewable area of said multi-scan type monitor with said M×

N resolution.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said display switching means comprises a means for saving information corresponding to one of said first and said second images, and for restoring information corresponding to the other of said first and said second images when switching dynamically between said first and said second images.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said means for generating comprises:

a first picture display control means for displaying said first image having M×

N resolution and at least one window;

a second picture display control means for displaying said second image having P×

Q resolution; and

a signal output switching means, coupled to said first picture display control means and to said second picture display control means, for outputting a picture signal and said synchronizing signal to said multi-scan type monitor, and for selecting said picture signal from among said first and second picture display control means.

4. The computer system of claim 3, further comprising a non-display image updating means for updating the contents of an image memory not being displayed when image display is being performed by either said first or second picture display control means, and said image memory is included in a non-display image display control means which is either one of said first or second image display control means.

5. A computer system of claim 4, wherein one of the main operating system or minor operating system is run as a background process of one of the main operating system or minor operating system, and said image memory is updated by the non-display image updating means under control of the operating system running as the background process of one of the main operating system or minor operating system.

6. The computer system of claim 3, wherein said first and second picture display control means each comprise a memory that stores image information.

7. A computer system of claim 6, wherein the computer system further comprises a first update means for updating the memory included in the first picture display control means, and a second update means for updating the memory included in the second picture display control means.

8. A computer system of claim 7, wherein one of the first update means or second update means, updates the memory of one of the first picture display control means or second picture display control means, when the signal output switching means selects the picture signal from one of the first picture display control means or second picture display control means.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said display switching means is responsive to a user operation.

10. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a keyboard wherein said display switching means is responsive to a keyboard operation of a user.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said display switching means comprises storage means for storing information that indicates which of said first and said second images is displayed.

12. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said display switching means comprises a memory that stores image information.

13. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said display switching means is responsive to a window designation means that designates one of windows being controlled by said main operating system means.

14. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said first image includes plural windows including said at least one window, and said main operating system means comprises:

means for designating one of said plural windows other than said at least one window; and

means for displaying image data related to the designated window screen on the entire viewable area of the multi-scan type monitor with resolution M×

N.

15. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the display switching means further comprises a means for saving video parameters required to switch between displaying said P×

Q resolution and said M×

N resolution.

16. A method for dynamically adjusting display resolution in a computer generated display, comprising:

providing a multi-scan type monitor having a viewable area and having at least high and low deflection frequencies which correspond to at least high and low resolution synchronizing signals, respectively;

controlling formation of a first image on the entire viewable area of the multi-scan type monitor using a main operating system, wherein the first image includes at least one window and has a resolution of M×

N where M and N are integers;

associating a minor operating system to said window and executing the minor operating system as a subordinate process of the main operating system to control formation of a second image, said second image corresponding to the image data in the window of the first image and having a resolution of P×

Q, where P and Q are integers, P is less than M, and Q is less than N; and

switching display on the viewable area of the multi-scan type monitor between the first image and the second image, comprising generating the low resolution synchronizing signal applied to the monitor when the P×

Q resolution image is displayed on the entire viewable screen of the multi-scan type monitor with the P×

Q resolution and generating the high resolution synchronizing signal applied to the multi-scan type monitor when the M×

N resolution image is displayed on the entire viewable area of the monitor with the M×

N resolution.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

saving information corresponding to one of said first and second images and restoring information corresponding to the other of said first and second images when switching dynamically between the first and second images.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising:

selecting either said first image with said M×

N resolution and having at least one window, or said second image having said P×

Q resolution for display on the entire viewable area on said monitor, and outputting the selected image and its respective synchronized signal to said multi-scan type monitor for display of the selected image.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising:

using a keyboard to control selection of which images are to be displayed by the multi-scan type monitor.

20. The method of claim 16, comprising:

processing contents of an image memory storing the one of the first image or the second image not being displayed to update the non-displayed image when image display is being performed for the other of the first image or the second image.

21. The method of claim 20, comprising:

running one of the main operating system or minor operating system as a background process of one of the main operating system or minor operating system, wherein the operating system running as the background process updates the image memory.

22. The method of claim 16, comprising:

storing information indicating which of the first and second images is displayed.

23. The method of claim 16, comprising:

designating one of the windows being controlled by the main operating system to control selection of which image to display on the multi-scan type monitor.

24. The method of claim 23, comprising:

displaying the image related to the designated window on the entire viewable area of the multi-scan type monitor with the resolution of M×

X.

25. The method of claim 16 comprising:

storing image information for the first image and second image.

26. The method of claim 25, comprising:

updating the image information for the first image and the second image.

27. The method of claim 26, comprising:

updating the image information for one of the first image or second image, when selecting one of the first image or the second image.