Image processing device with expander minimizing memory requirements for obtaining multiple sub window image data

• US 6,052,154 A
• Filed: 07/03/1997
• Issued: 04/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Tatsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sajous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US08/888,352
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 348/564, 348/565, 348/566, 348/567, 348/568, 348/581, 348/704, 348/572, 348/571, 348/588, 348/705, 345/332, 345/340, 345/343, 345/344, 345/345, 382/276
• US Class Current: 348/564
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/64 Circuits for processing colour signals H04N9/77 takes precedence; camera processing pipelines for processing colour signals H04N23/84

Abstract

An image processing device for displaying a sub window of second video data on one part of a main screen by switching first video data for the entire screen and the second video data for the sub window includes an analog-to-digital converter for digitizing the second video data and a data sampling circuit for sampling and compressing the digitized video data at a subsampling frequency. The device further includes a memory for reading out and storing the compressed data sampled in the data sampling circuit; a first switching circuit including a data expansion circuit for generating video data for the sub window by expanding the image data read from the memory; a digital-to-analog converter for converting the image data expanded in the data expansion circuit to obtain analog data; and a second switching circuit for switching the video data for a sub window output from the digital-to-analog converter to insert the video data in the sub window into the first video data. The first switch controls whether the data read from the memory are expanded for one size sub window or not expanded for another size sub window.

Claims

1. An image processing device for displaying a sub window of second video data on one part of a main screen by switching first video data for all of the main screen and the second video data for the sub window, said image processing device comprising:

an analog-to-digital converter for digitizing the second video data to produce digitized second video data at a frequency f_sub ;

a data sampling circuit for sampling and compressing the digitized second video data at a subsampling frequency (1/n) (f_sub), where n is a positive integer;

a memory for reading out and storing the digitized second video data sampled and compressed by said data sampling circuit;

a first switching circuit including a data expansion circuit for generating video data for the sub window by expanding the digitized second video data read out from said memory by m/n, where m is a positive integer not equal to n, said first switching circuit switching between expanding the digitized second video data read out from said memory in said data expansion circuit by (m/n) to generate 1/m² sub window video data, and reading out the digitized second video data from said memory without expansion in said data expansion circuit to generate 1/n² sub window video data;

a digital-to-analog converter for converting image data expanded by said data expansion circuit to produce analog data; and

a second switching circuit for switching video data for the sub window output from said digital-to-analog converter to insert the video data for the sub window into the first video data.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1 wherein said m is 3 and n is 4.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein said data expansion circuit generates video data for the sub window when the digitized second video data read out from said memory is Yi (i=0, 1, 2, 3 . . . ) of

4. The image processing device according to claim 1 wherein said data expansion circuit comprises:

a first path for directly outputting digitized video data;

a second path including a first multiplying circuit for multiplying the digitized video data by a first constant defined by a first control signal to produce a first product, a second multiplying circuit for multiplying the digitized video data by a second constant defined by a second control signal to produce a second product, an adder for adding the first and second products to produce a sum, and a circuit for dividing the sum by two; and

a third switching circuit for selecting the first path or the second path.

5. The image processing device according to claim 4 wherein the first and second constants correspond to respective values of the first and second control signals input to said first and second multiplying circuits as follows:

space="preserve" listing-type="tabular">______________________________________ [Values] Value of first [and] or [First and second constants] second control [signals] signal Constant ______________________________________ 0 0 1 1/2 2 1 3 3/2. ______________________________________

6. The image processing device according to claim 1 wherein said data expansion circuit comprises:

a first D flip-flop for receiving the digitized second video data at a first input terminal, and receiving a first control signal at a second input terminal, and outputting an image signal from an output terminal according to the first control signal;

a second D flip-flop for receiving the digitized second video data at a first input terminal and receiving a second control signal at a second input terminal, and outputting an image signal from an output terminal according to the second control signal;

a third switching circuit for selecting between the image signal from the first D flip-flop and the image signal from the second D flip-flop according to a third control signal and producing an output;

a first multiplier for multiplying the digitized second video data by a first constant corresponding to a fourth control signal and producing an output;

a second multiplier for multiplying the by a second constant corresponding to a fifth control signal;

a third D flip-flop for latching the output of said first multiplier and producing an output;

a fourth D flip-flop for latching an output of said second multiplier and producing an output;

a fourth switching circuit for selecting between the output of said third switching circuit and the output of said third D flip-flop according to a sixth control signal and producing an output;

an adder for adding the outputs of said third D flip-flop and said fourth D flip-flop;

a fifth D flip-flop for latching the output of said fourth switching circuit according to a seventh control signal and producing an output;

a fifth switching circuit for selecting between the output of said fifth D flip-flop and the output of said adder according to an eight control signal and producing an output; and

a sixth D flip-flop for latching the output of the fifth switching circuit wherein the input image signal is expanded by 4/3 in response to the first through eighth control signals.

7. The image processing device according to claim 6 wherein;

the first and second constants correspond to respective values of the fourth and fifth control signals input to said first and second multiplying circuits as follows;

space="preserve" listing-type="tabular">______________________________________ [Values] Value of [first and second] [First and second constants] fourth and fifth control [signals] signal Constant ______________________________________ 0 0 1 1/2 2 1 3 3/2. ______________________________________

8. The image processing device according to claim 6 wherein, the first control signal is logic "L", the third control signal is decimal 2, the sixth control signal is logic "H", the seventh control signal is logic "L", and the eighth control signal is logic "L" for generating a (1/16) sub window.