Method and apparatus of adjusting monitor display

• US 5,828,351 A
• Filed: 03/10/1997
• Issued: 10/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qisda Corporation
• Original Assignee: Acer America Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wu, Tsung-Hsun
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, DAVID LEE
• Application Number:
  US08/814,017
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 345/204, 345/212, 345/213, 345/3, 345/11, 345/14, 345/156, 345/150, 348/569, 348/565, 348/673, 348/687, 348/678, 348/674, 348/671, 348/649, 348/625, 348/577, 348/576, 348/725, 348/805, 348/686
• US Class Current: 345/11
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 1/165 Details of a display terminal using a CRT, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto details suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/06 Adjustment of display parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04

Abstract

A method and apparatus of adjusting the display of the monitor by modifying the parameter values of the adjustable display functions. When the user begins to press the select key on the control panel, the display of the monitor is altered by recursively varying the parameter value of the selected display function from the maximum to the minimum, for indicating the type of the display function to be selected. Such a dynamic display can be obtained by using the microcontroller of the monitor. The monitor will exhibit the display effect of the display function to be selected. Therefore, the user can realize the display effect of these display functions, without having to memorize the simplified figures associated with these display functions. Then the user can adjust the display of the monitor through depressing the adjust key on the control panel.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting a display of a monitor, comprising the steps of:

selecting a display function controlling the display by pressing a select key on the monitor;

automatically varying a parameter value associated with the selected display function to alter the display in response to the selecting step, for demonstrating the effect of the selected display function on the monitor;

ceasing to vary the parameter value of the selected display function when an adjust key used for adjusting the parameter value of the selected display function is pressed; and

modifying the parameter value of the selected display function by pressing the adjust key.

2. The method of adjusting the display of the monitor as recited in claim 1, wherein in the step of continuously varying the parameter value of the selected display function to alter the display of the monitor comprising the steps of:

continuously increasing the parameter value of the selected display function and transmitting the increased parameter value to a control circuit corresponding to the selected display function to alter the display of the monitor, until the increased parameter value reaches a first predefined value; and

continuously decreasing the parameter value of the selected display function and transmitting the decreased parameter value to the corresponding circuit to alter the display of the monitor, until the decreased parameter value reaches a second predefined value, the first predefined value being higher than the second predefined value.

3. The method of adjusting the display of the monitor as recited in claim 2, wherein the steps of increasing and decreasing the parameter value of the selected display function are alternately and recursively executed by a monitor controller.

4. The method of adjusting the display of the monitor as recited in claim 2, wherein the first predefined value is the maximum parameter value of the selected display function.

5. The method of adjusting the display of the monitor as recited in claim 2, wherein the second predefined value is the minimum parameter value of the selected display function.

6. The method of adjusting the display of monitor as recited in claim 1, further comprising a step of displaying the current parameter value of the selected display function on the display of the monitor by an on-screen display (OSD) circuit of the monitor.

7. The method of adjusting the display of the monitor as recited in claim 1, in the step of modifying the parameter value of the selected display function further comprising the steps of:

fetching an original parameter value of the selected display function from a memory device;

transmitting the original parameter value to a control circuit corresponding to the selected display function;

transmitting the modified parameter value to the control circuit corresponding to the selected display function, for showing the display effect of the modified parameter value; and

storing the modified parameter value of the selected display function in the memory device after finishing modification of the parameter value.

8. The method of adjusting the display of the monitor as recited in claim 1, further comprising a step of ceasing to alter the display of the monitor when the select key and the adjust key are not pressed within a predefined period.

9. An apparatus of adjusting a display of a monitor, comprising:

a means for storing parameter values corresponding to a plurality of display functions that control the display;

a control panel, having a select key for selecting one of the display functions and an adjust key for modifying the parameter value of the display function selected by the select key;

a controller for generating a control signal in accordance with the display function selected by the select key and the modified parameter value set by the adjust key, wherein the controller, in response to pressing the select key, automatically varies the parameter value of the selected display function and modulates the control signal based on the varied parameter so as to alter the display in accordance with the selected display function, and in response to pressing the adjust key, ceases to vary the parameter value of the selected display function; and

a display circuit for altering the display of the monitor in response to the control signal from said controller.

10. The apparatus of adjusting the display of the monitor as recited in claim 9, wherein the controller ceases to vary the parameter value of the selected display function when the select key and the adjust key are not pressed within a predefined period.

11. The apparatus of adjusting the display of the monitor as recited in claim 9, wherein the controller updates the storing means according to the modified parameter value of the selected display function after finishing modification of the parameter value.

12. The apparatus of adjusting the display of the monitor as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

a plurality of pulse-width modulators, corresponding to the display functions, respectively, for generating pulse-width modulated signals in responsive to the control signal from said controller, the duty cycle of each pulse-width modulated signal being proportional to the corresponding parameter value attached to the control signal; and

a plurality of converting circuits, corresponding to the pulse-width modulator, respectively, for converting the pulse-width modulated signals from the pulse-width modulator into DC voltages that control the display circuit.