Plural image display

• US 6,559,896 B1
• Filed: 07/06/1999
• Issued: 05/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Zwartenkot, Hendrik T. J., Veerhoek, Jacob J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lo, Linus H
• Application Number:
  US09/348,919
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 348/565, 348/567, 348/714, 348/715, 348/716, 348/717, 348/718, 348/459, 345/531, 345/534, 345/541, 345/864, 345/872
• US Class Current: 348/714
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/395 Arrangements specially adapted for transferring the contents of the bit-mapped memory to the screen G09G5/399 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence

Abstract

In a method of controlling a memory (5) to allow for a display of at least two images, write and read speeds of writing image data into and reading image data from the memory (5) are measured (9-15) to predict a crossing where a write action overtakes a read action or reversely, where a new field of said image data is written (13, 3) into the memory (5) from a same initial position as from which a previous field of the image data was written into the memory (5) if no crossing is predicted, and the new field of said image data is written (13, 3) into the memory (5) from an end position in the memory (5) at which an end of the previous field of the image data was written into the memory (5) if a crossing is indeed predicted, the memory (5) having a size being larger than that needed for one field but less than that needed for two fields of the image data at its largest read-out size.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a memory comprising the steps:

measuring write and read speeds of writing image data into and reading image data from the memory;

predicting, prior to writing a new field of image data, whether a crossing, where either a write action overtakes a read action or a read action overtakes a write action, will occur during the writing of the new field of image data, said predicting step using said measured write and read speeds;

writing the new field of image data into the memory starting from an initial position in the memory corresponding to an initial position from which a previous field of image data was written into the memory if no crossing is predicted; and

writing the new field of image data into the memory starting from an initial position following an end position of the previous field of image data which was written into the memory if a crossing is predicted, wherein the memory has a size which is larger than a size needed for one field but less than a size needed for two fields of the image data at a largest read-out size.

2. A memory control device comprising:

means for measuring write and read speeds of writing image data into and reading image data from the memory;

means for predicting, prior to writing each new field of image data, whether a crossing, where either a write action overtakes a read action or a read action overtakes a write action, will occur during the writing of the new field of image data, said predicting means using said measured write and read speeds;

means for writing the new field of image data into the memory starting from an initial position in the memory corresponding to an initial position from which a previous field of image data was written into the memory if no crossing is predicted; and

means for writing the new field of image data into the memory starting from an initial position following an end position of the previous field of image data written into the memory if a crossing is indeed predicted, wherein the memory has a size which is larger than a size needed for one field but less than a size needed for two fields of the image data at a largest read-out size.

3. A display apparatus for displaying at least two images, the display apparatus comprising:

a memory control device as claimed in claim 2;

means for multiplexing between an output of the memory control device and an output of another channel; and

a display coupled to an output of the multiplexing means.