Data transmitter/receiver apparatus, data transmitter, data receiver, and data compression method

• US 6,014,133 A
• Filed: 03/11/1997
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yamakado, Hitoshi, Takenuki, Jun-ichi, Yanagisawa, Noboru
• Primary Examiner(s): Chauhan, Ulka J.
• Application Number:
  US08/814,716
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 345/112, 345/118, 345/121, 345/152, 345/153, 345/155, 345/501, 345/520, 345/526, 345/507, 345/509, 345/515, 345/199, 345/202, 364/479.01, 364/479.02, 364/479.06, 705/16, 705/20-25, 382/162, 382/165, 382/166, 382/232, 382/244
• US Class Current: 345/501
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1462 with means for detecting differences between the image stored in the host and the images displayed on the remote displays
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/02 Handling of images in compressed format, e.g. JPEG, MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/06 Remotely controlled electronic signs other than labels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/06 using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals

Abstract

A data transmitter/receiver apparatus transmits host computer screen data by wireless interface or by cable to terminal. Also, the screen data is transmitted to the terminal as the bit-mapped data constituting that screen, and screen display is performed. At that time, the bit-mapped data is divided into blocks, converted into indexes having a smaller number of bits than the pixels to transmit, making the number of bits in the indexes representing each block of pixels smaller as the number of colors used within each block is smaller, and compressed before sending; the blocks may be made in units of 10K-50K pixels. Furthermore, only the parts changed in the data composing one screen are detected by comparing with the screen one screen before, and transmits the data of the changed rectangular portion when the changed rectangle detector has detected as a changed rectangle the region computed by |X1-X2|×|Y1-Y2|, taking the vertical and horizontal position of the start of the bit-mapped data in a changed location as X1 and Y1, and the vertical and horizontal position of the end as X2 and Y2.

Claims

1. A data transmitter/receiver apparatus that transmits screen data by wireless interface or by cable, comprising:

a terminal;

screen data transmitted to the terminal;

bit-mapped data representing the screen data;

a display connected to the terminal, the display displaying the bit-mapped data;

a plurality of blocks separating said bit-mapped data;

a plurality of indexes representing conversions of the bit-mapped data;

wherein the number of bits in the indexes representing each block of pixels decreases as the number of colors used within each of the blocks decreases and is compressed prior to transmitting the bit mapped-data.

2. The data transmitter/receiver apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said bit-mapped data is divided into blocks in units of 10K-50K pixels.

3. A data transmitter/receiver apparatus that transmits host computer screen data by wireless or by cable to a terminal, comprising:

the terminal;

a screen divided into blocks while bit-mapping the screen data; and

a plurality of indexes representing converted blocks of pixel data to be transmitted, the indexes having a smaller number of bits than the blocks of pixels to transmit, wherein the size of each index representing each block of pixels decreases as the number of colors used within each block decreases, and is compressed prior to transmitting the bit-mapped data to the terminal and displaying it on the screen.

4. A data transmitter/receiver apparatus that transmits screen data by wireless or by cable to a terminal, comprising:

a bit-mapped screen;

a changed rectangle detector that detects only the portions changed in the data composing one screen by comparing with the screen one screen before, and transmits the data of the changed rectangular portion when the changed rectangle detector has detected as a changed rectangle the region computed by |X1-X2|×

|Y1-Y2|, taking the vertical and horizontal position of the start of the bit-mapped data in a changed location as X1 and Y1, and the vertical and horizontal position of the end as X2 and X2;

a color number detector that detects the number of colors among said changed rectangles;

an index converter that makes the value of the indexes representing each block of pixels as indexes having a value of a smaller number of bits when the number of colors detected by the color number detector is smaller; and

a data compressor that compresses the bit-mapped data using these new indexes.

5. The data transmitter/receiver apparatus is defined in claim 4, further comprising:

an unchanged signal generator that generates an unchanged signal when there is an unchanged rectangle among said data, and

a signal indicating that the unchanged rectangular region is identical to the previous screen.

6. The data transmitter/receiver apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein said bit-mapped data is divided into blocks in units of 10K-50K pixels, and said changed rectangles are obtained within those divided blocks.

7. A data compression method, comprising:

providing bit-mapped data on a screen;

compressing the bit-mapped data into indexes having a smaller number of bits;

making the number of bits in the indexes representing each block of pixels smaller as the number of colors used within fixed regions of each screen is smaller; and

compressing the bit-mapped data in the fixed regions.

8. The data compression method as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

dividing the screens into blocks in units of 10K-50K pixels, wherein each of the blocks becomes one of the fixed regions.

9. A data compression method, comprising:

comparing bit-mapped data from one screen with bit-mapped data from a previous screen to determine locations of changed data;

computing a changed rectangular region as |X1-X2|×

|Y1-Y2|, taking the vertical and horizontal position of the start of a location of changed bit-mapped data as X1 and Y1, and the vertical and horizontal position of the end of the location of changed bit-mapped data as X2 and Y2;

extracting only the bit-mapped data of the changed rectangular regions;

detecting a number of colors among said changed rectangles;

making a plurality of indexes representing each block of pixels as indexes having a smaller number of bits as the number of colors is smaller; and

compressing the bit-mapped data using the indexes.

10. The data compression method as defined in claim 9, further comprising generating a signal when there is an unchanged rectangular region among said data to indicate that the unchanged rectangular region is identical to the previous screen.

11. The data compression method as defined in claim 9, further comprising dividing the bit-mapped data into blocks in units of 10K-50K pixels, and obtaining said changed rectangular regions from the divided blocks.

12. A data transmitter that transmits host computer screen data by wireless or by cable to a terminal, comprising:

a screen memory that structures a plurality of host computer screens with bit-mapped data and stores the bit-mapped data;

a change detector that detects changed regions against the screen one screen before in the screen data;

a bit map holder that acquires the bit-mapped data of the changed regions from the screen memory;

a color number detector that detects the number of colors among the changed regions of the bit-mapped data;

an index converter that makes the indexes representing each block of pixels as indexes having a value of a smaller number of bits as the number of colors detected by the color number detector is smaller;

a data compressor that compresses the bit-mapped data using the indexes provided by the index converter; and

a transmitter that transmits the data compressed by the data compressor.

13. The data transmitter as defined in claim 12, wherein the bit-mapped data stored by said screen memory is made as data having a bit map structure of 1024×

786 pixels.

14. The data transmitter as defined in claim 13, wherein a unit as object of detection when the changed regions are detected by said change detector is a block obtained by dividing the screen into a plurality of blocks.

15. A data transmitter that transmits host computer screen data by wireless or by cable to a terminal, comprising:

a screen memory that structures the host computer screens with bit-mapped data and stores the bit-mapped data;

a change detector that detects changed regions against the screen one screen before in the data;

a bit map holder that acquires the bit-mapped data of the changed regions from the screen memory;

a data compressor that compresses the bit-mapped data of the changed regions; and

a transmitter that transmits the data compressed by the data compressor,

a color number detector that detects the number of colors in said changed rectangles, and

an index converter that provides to each block of pixels an index of a different number of bits according to the number of colors detected by the color number detector,

wherein the change detector includes a changed rectangle detector that detects as a changed region the changed rectangular region computed by |X1-X2|×

|Y1-Y2|, taking the vertical and horizontal position of the start of the changed location of the bit-mapped data as X1 and Y1, the vertical and horizontal position of the end of the changed location as X2 and Y2, the changed rectangular detector generates a signal when there is an unchanged rectangular region within said data to indicate that the unchanged rectangular region is identical to the previous screen, the color number detector detect the number of colors for the rectangular regions other than the unchanged rectangular regions, and the index converter assigns to the indexes representing each block of pixels a value of a smaller number of bits as the number of colors detected is smaller.

16. A data receiver, comprising:

a receiver for receiving bit-mapped data composing screens;

a data expander for expanding the bit-mapped data;

a color number converter that specifies each index, for which a value of a smaller number of bits is assigned to the index representing each block of pixels as a number of colors detected is smaller, based on a signal indicating the number of colors in each specified block of the bit-mapped data;

a screen memory that stores the bit-mapped data based on the block of pixels for which color is specified by the color number converter; and

a display component for displaying the bit-mapped data stored by the screen memory.