Display device

• US 6,297,787 B1
• Filed: 08/29/1997
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fourie Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fourie Incorporated
• Inventors: Nishida, Shinsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blackman, Anthony J.
• Application Number:
  US08/894,883
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 345/205, 345/206, 345/90, 345/903, 345/1.3, 340/815.4, 340/815.47, 340/815.73, 340/815.74
• US Class Current: 345/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/02 Details of power systems and of start or stop of display operation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/24 using incandescent filaments

Abstract

In a display device, wiring for the respective display elements is simplified so that the assembling work and the maintenance work become easy. A large number of display units (50) are arranged in length and breadth directions to form the display device. Each display unit comprises a display element (10) comprised of a light bulb, a regulator (51) comprised of a relay, a non-volatile memory (52) comprised of an EEPROM and a controller (53) including a CPU. For these display units (50), a passage (61) for power supply and a passage (71) for supply of synchronizing signal are drawn. Display information to designate change of display mode in time of light emitting or non-light emitting (ON/OFF) state are stored in memories within the respective display units. The controllers of the respective display units carry out ON/OFF control of regulators on the basis of the display information in synchronism with the synchronizing signal to turn ON or OFF the display elements. If a rewrite signal is delivered to the signal transmission passage, the contents of the respective memories can be also rewritten.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

an array of display units;

display elements respectively in the display units for light-emitting operation;

memories respectively in the display units for storing variable display sequence information that designates the light-emitting operation of the respective display elements; and

controllers respectively in the display units for determining the light-emitting operation of the respective display elements on the basis of the display sequence information that designates the light-emitting operation of the respective display elements so that the display elements carry out the light-emitting operation designated by their respectively associated memories.

2. The display device as set forth in claim 1:

wherein at least one of the display elements is a first color presentation element (83R) for presenting a first primary color, a second color presentation element (83G) for presenting a second primary color and a third color presentation element (83B) for presenting a third primary color.

3. The display device as set forth in claim 1, and further comprising:

a control device (70;

320) for generating a synchronizing signal; and

signal transmission means (71;

321) for delivering the synchronizing signal to the controllers;

wherein the controllers determine the emitting from a time synchronized with the synchronizing signal delivered thereto.

4. The display device as set forth in claim 1, and further comprising:

a control device (70;

320) for generating a write signal; and

signal transmission means (71;

321) for delivering the write signal to the memories to rewrite the display sequence information thereof on the basis of the write signal delivered thereto.

5. The display device as set forth in claim 4:

wherein first addresses for the respective display units are stored in the respective memories; and

wherein the write signal comprises second addresses to rewrite the display sequence information of the memories when the first and second addresses correspond.

6. The display device as set forth in claim 1, and further comprising:

a device (70;

320) for generating a write signal; and

signal transmission means (71;

321) for delivering the write signal to the memories;

wherein the memories store further display sequence information and substitute the further display sequence information for the display sequence information on the basis of the write signal delivered thereto.

7. The display device as set forth in claim 6:

wherein first addresses for the respective display units are stored in the respective memories; and

wherein the write signal comprises second addresses to substitute the further display sequence information when the first and second addresses correspond.

8. The display device as set forth in claim 3:

wherein the signal transmission means also supplies electric power to the display units.

9. The display device as set forth in claim 4:

wherein the write signal is compressed or encoded in the control device and expanded or decoded within the controller.

10. The display device as set forth in claim 4:

wherein the controllers carry out thinning processing or interpolation processing with respect to the display sequence information stored in the respective memories.

11. The display device as set forth in claim 2, and further comprising:

a control device (70;

320) for generating a synchronizing signal; and

signal transmission means (71;

321) for delivering the synchronizing signal to the controllers;

wherein the controllers determine the emitting from a time synchronized with the synchronizing signal delivered thereto.

12. The display device as set forth in claim 2, and further comprising:

a control device (70;

320) for generating a write signal; and

signal transmission means (71;

321) for delivering the write signal to the memories to rewrite the display sequence information thereof on the basis of the write signal delivered thereto.

13. The display device as set forth in claim 3, and further comprising:

a control device (70;

320) for generating a write signal; and

signal transmission means (71;

321) for delivering the write signal to the memories to rewrite the display sequence information thereof on the basis of the write signal delivered thereto.

14. The display device as set forth in claim 11, and further comprising:

a control device (70;

320) for generating a write signal; and

signal transmission means (71;

321) for delivering the write signal to the memories to rewrite the display sequence information thereof on the basis of the write signal delivered thereto.

15. The display device as set forth in claim 13:

wherein first addresses for the respective display units are stored in the respective memories; and

wherein the write signal comprises second addresses to rewrite the display sequence information of the memories when the first and second addresses correspond.

16. The display device as set forth in claim 2, and further comprising:

a device (70;

320) for generating a write signal; and

signal transmission means (71;

321) for delivering the write signal to the memories;

wherein the memories store further display sequence information and substitute the further display sequence information for the display sequence information on the basis of the write signal delivered thereto.

17. The display device as set forth in claim 13:

wherein the signal transmission means also supplies electric power to the display units.

18. The display device as set forth in claim 6:

wherein the write signal is compressed or encoded in the control device and expanded or decoded within the controller.

19. The display device as set forth in claim 6:

wherein the controllers carry out thinning processing or interpolation processing with respect to the display sequence information stored in the respective memories.

20. The display device as set forth in claim 7:

wherein the controllers carry out thinning processing or interpolation processing with respect to the display sequence information stored in the respective memories.

21. A display device comprising:

an array of display units, each of the display units comprising;

a display element for light-emitting operation;

a memory for storing predetermined particular display sequence information that designates the light-emitting operation of the display element; and

a controller for determining the light-emitting operation of the display element on the basis of said predetermined particular display sequence information stored in the memory so that the display element carries out the light-emitting operation.

22. Method for operating a display device comprising steps of:

a first step of preparing a display device comprising an array of display units, each of the display units comprising a display element for light-emitting operation, a non-volatile memory for storing data and a controller for controlling the display element based on data in the non-volatile memory;

a second step of preparing inherent display sequence information designating light-emitting operation for the respective display elements and storing said inherent display sequence information to the corresponding non-volatile memory as data; and

a third step of functioning the respective controllers so that the respective display elements carry out the light-emitting operation based on data stored in said second step in the corresponding non-volatile memories;

wherein said second step is carried out in advance before said third step is carried out.

23. A display device comprising:

an array of display units, each of the display units comprising;

a display element for light-emitting operation;

a memory for storing variable display sequence information that designates the light-emitting operation of the display element; and

a controller for determining the light-emitting operation of the display element on the basis of the display sequence information that designates the light-emitting operation of the display element so that the display element carries out the light-emitting operation designated by the memory.