Scroll display method and apparatus

• US 6,069,595 A
• Filed: 12/10/1997
• Issued: 05/30/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AVIX, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AVIX, Inc.
• Inventors: Tokimoto, Toyotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, FRANCIS N
• Application Number:
  US08/973,532
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 345/44, 345/56, 345/46, 345/30, 345/31, 345/39, 345/123, 345/124, 345/125, 345/82, 345/55, 345/127, 345/131, 40/610, 40/605, 40/606
• US Class Current: 345/44
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/004 to give the appearance of moving signs
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/32 semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

When a large number of bar-shaped display elements are installed at a site in any of various situations, even if the distances between the bar-shaped display elements are not necessarily fixed, an image of an aspect ratio which is correct over an entire screen can be displayed without distorting the displayed image. Data distribution means includes means for storing a standard value set corresponding to a standard arrangement distance of the bar-shaped display elements Bi as an interval control variable, and means for storing a correction value set for a particular bar-shaped display element B8 arranged in a displaced condition from the standard arrangement distance, and selectively extracts image data for one column to be distributed to each of the bar-shaped display elements B1 to B10 based on the standard value and the correction value.

Claims

1. A scrolling display method, comprising the following steps of:

arranging n bar-shaped display elements substantially in parallel to each other at suitable distances from each other, each said bar-shaped display element including m light emitting cells positioned linearly and closely at short distances, so that, by the arrangement, said n bar-shaped display elements are connected to each other like a belt to form a physical screen wherein one column includes m dots and one row includes n dots, an average value of the distances between said adjacent display elements being larger than five times as large as the cell distance in one of said bar-shaped display elements;

assuming said physical screen of a pixel construction wherein one column includes m dots and one row includes n dots as an imaginary screen of another pixel construction wherein one column includes m dots and one row includes w dots, and producing image data of the bit map type assuming that an image is displayed in the dot density on said imaginary screen, where w is an integer larger than several times as large as n;

distributing those image data for n columns selected at intervals from among the image data for w columns actually to said n bar-shaped display elements, and controlling to drive said m light emitting cells of each of said bar-shaped display elements in accordance with data of m dots for each column, in case that it is assumed that bit map screen data wherein one column includes m dots and one row includes w dots are expanded on said imaginary screen to display the data;

in the control to select image data for n columns at intervals from among image data for w columns and distribute the selected image data to said n bar-shaped display elements, selecting the column data in the bitmap screen data at intervals according to an interval control variable arbitrarily determined in accordance with the arrangement distances of said bar-shaped display elements distributed and arranged on said imaginary screen; and

while those bit map image data to be expanded on said imaginary screen are successively shifted in a direction of a row, repeating data processing for controlling and driving said light emitting cells of said bar-shaped display elements in accordance with image data selected at intervals so that a scrolling image of a dot density wherein one column includes m dots and one row includes w dots, may be visually observed by an after-image effect of a person who watches said imaginary screen.

2. A scrolling display apparatus, wherein n bar-shaped display elements, each of which including m light emitting cells positioned linearly and closely at short distances, are arranged substantially in parallel to each other at suitable distances from each other, so that, by the arrangement, said n bar-shaped display elements are connected to each other like a belt to form a physical screen wherein one column includes m dots and one row includes n dots, and an average value of the distances between said adjacent display elements is larger than five times as large as the cell distance in one of said bar-shaped display elements,

said physical screen of a pixel construction wherein one column includes m dots and one row includes n dots, is assumed as an imaginary screen of another pixel construction wherein one column includes m dots and one row includes w dots, and image data of the bit map type are produced assuming that an image is displayed in the dot density on said imaginary screen, where w is an integer larger than several times as large as n,

those image data for n columns selected at intervals from among the image data for w columns are actually distributed to said n bar-shaped display elements, and said m light emitting cells of each of said bar-shaped display elements are controlled and driven in accordance with data of m dots for each column, in case that it is assumed that bit map screen data wherein one column includes m dots and one row includes w dots are expanded on said imaginary screen to display the data,

in the control to select image data for n columns at intervals from among image data for w columns and distribute the selected image data to said n bar-shaped display elements, the column data in the bitmap screen data are selected at intervals according to an interval control variable arbitrarily determined in accordance with the arrangement distances of said bar-shaped display elements distributed and arranged on said imaginary screen, and

while those bit map image data to be expanded on said imaginary screen are successively shifted in a direction of a row, data processing for controlling and driving said light emitting cells of said bar-shaped display elements are repeated in accordance with image data selected at intervals so that a scrolling image of a dot density wherein one column includes m dots and one row includes w dots, may be visually observed by an after-image effect of a person who watches said imaginary screen, further comprising:

data distribution means for specifying image data for w columns of one frame to be displayed subsequently from among entire image data produced in the form of a bit map and stored in a memory in accordance with a frame address, and for selecting image data for n columns at intervals from the image data for w columns of one frame and distributing the selected image data to said bar-shaped display elements;

light emission driving means for controlling and driving said m light emitting cells of each said bar-shaped display element in accordance with the image data of m dots for one column received from said data distribution means at a predetermined timing; and

frame shifting means for successively updating the frame address to successively shift the frame to be specified from within the entire image data in a scrolling direction.

3. A scrolling display apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said data distribution means includes means for storing a standard value set corresponding to a standard arrangement distance of said bar-shaped display elements as the interval control variable, and means for storing a correction value set for a particular one of said bar-shaped display elements which is arranged in a displaced condition from the standard arrangement distance, and said data distribution means selectively extracts image data for one column to be distributed to each said bar-shaped display element based on the standard value and the correction value.

4. A scrolling display apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising:

means for arbitrarily setting and inputting the standard value; and

means for setting and inputting the correction value in a corresponding relationship to an identifier of a pertaining one of said bar-shaped display elements, both as a man-machine interface.

5. A scrolling display apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said data distribution means includes means for storing, as the interval control variable, position data set proportionally corresponding to the arrangement position of each said bar-shaped display element from an origin, and selectively extracts image data for one column to be distributed to each said bar-shaped display element based on the position data.

6. A scrolling display apparatus as set forth in claim 5, further comprising means for setting and inputting the position data in a corresponding relationship to an identifier of each said bar-shaped display element as a man-machine interface.

7. A scrolling display apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said data distribution means includes means for storing, as the interval control variable, distance data set proportionally corresponding to the distance of each said bar-shaped display element from an adjacent one of said bar-shaped display elements, and selectively extracts image data for one column to be distributed to each said bar-shaped display element based on the distance data.

8. A scrolling display apparatus as set forth in claim 7, further comprising means for setting and inputting the distance data in a corresponding relationship to an identifier of each said bar-shaped display element as a man-machine interface.