Apparatus for processing image signals in a monitor system

• US 6,654,026 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2001
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jae Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rahmjoo, Manucher
• Application Number:
  US09/925,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20020021273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 345/600, 345/601, 345/605, 345/660, 345/592, 345/589, 345/3.4
• US Class Current: 345/600
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/005 Adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04

Abstract

An apparatus for processing image signals in a monitor system having an LCD module is enclosed. The apparatus includes an A/D converter converting analog R/G/B input image signals received into first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals; a microprocessor determining whether a resolution of the input image signals is supported by the LCD module and generating a corresponding control signal, the resolution being determined using a horizontal/vertical sync signal received; an image converter converting the first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals into second 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals based on the control signal if the resolution of the input signals is not supported by the LCD module, the second 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals being displayable on the LCD module; a scaler adjusting frame sizes of the first or second 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals; and a switch outputting the first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals to the scaler or the image converter depending on the control signal. By using the apparatus according to the present invention, input images can still be properly displayed on the LCD module even if its resolution is not supported by the display module. In such case, the images signals are processed in the image converter in order to generate displayable image signals. On the other hand, if the display module supports the resolution of the input images, they directly get displayed on the LCD module without going through the image converter.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing image signals in a monitor system having an LCD module, the apparatus comprising:

an A/D converter converting analog R/G/B input image signals received into first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals;

a microprocessor determining whether a resolution of said input image signals is supported by said LCD module and generating a corresponding control signal, said resolution being determined based on a horizontal/vertical sync signal received;

an image converter converting said first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals into second 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals based on said control signal if said resolution of said input signals is not supported by said LCD module, said second 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals being displayable on said LCD module;

a scaler adjusting frame sizes of said first or second 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals; and

a switch outputting said first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals to said scaler or said image converter depending on said control signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said image converter comprising:

a first sub-converter separately compressing said first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals into N-bit digital R/G/B image signals, where N being less than 8;

a mixer mixing said N-bit digital R/G/B image signals to generate an N-bit mixed signal;

a storage storing said N-bit mixed signal; and

a second sub-converter extracting said stored N-bit mixed signal into said second 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals according to said control signal and outputting said second 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals to said scaler.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first subconverter performs a ¾

rate compression process on said first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said N-bit digital R/G/B image signals are 6-bit digital R/G/B image signals.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said N-bit mixed signal includes each of said N-bit digital R/G/B image signals.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said N-bit mixed signal is a black and white signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said mixer further compresses said N-bit digital R/G/B signals with a ⅓

rate.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second 8-bit digital R/G-/B image signals converted by said image converter are inputted to said scaler.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a phase locked loop (PLL) generating a clock pulse based on said control signal and providing said clock pulse to said A/D converter.

10. An apparatus for processing image signals in a monitor system having an LCD module, the apparatus comprising:

an A/D converter converting analog R/G/B input image signals received into first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals;

a microprocessor determining whether a resolution of said input image signals is supported by said LCD module and generating a corresponding control signal, said resolution being determined based on a horizontal/vertical sync signal received;

an image converter converting one of said first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals into a second 8-bit digital image signal based on said control signal if said resolution of said input signals is not supported by said LCD module, said second 8-bit digital image signal being displayable on said LCD module;

a scaler adjusting frame sizes of said first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals or said second 8-bit digital image signal; and

a switch outputting said one of said first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals to said image converter or outputting all of said first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals to scaler depending on said control signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said image converter comprising:

a first sub-converter compressing said one of said first 8-bit digital R/G/B image signals into an N-bit digital image signal, where N being less than 8;

a storage storing said N-bit digital image signal; and

a second sub-converter extracting said stored N-bit digital image signal to generate said second 8-bit digital image signal based on said control signal and outputting said second 8-bit digital image signal to said scaler.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said N-bit digital image signal is a 6-bit digital image signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said second 8-bit digital image signal is inputted to said scaler.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a phase locked loop (PLL) generating a clock pulse based on said control signal and providing said clock pulse to said A/D converter.