Television interface for handheld calculator for use with multiple calculator display formats

• US 6,661,465 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2001
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Zhu, Xiaoming, Ahlfinger, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESIR, JEAN WICEL
• Application Number:
  US09/835,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20010035914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 348/552, 348/553, 348/563, 348/567, 348/441, 348/445, 348/555, 348/556, 348/558, 345/2.1, 345/2.2, 345/2.3, 345/169, 345/3.1, 345/3.2, 345/440.1, 345/440, 708/105, 708/109, 708/130, 708/139
• US Class Current: 348/552
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/641 Multi-purpose receivers, e.g. for auxiliary information H04N9/642 takes precedence

Abstract

An interface (10) for connecting a calculator (12) to a standard television (11), so that the calculator'"'"'s display can be re-displayed on the television (1). The interface (10) is useful with different calculators having different display formats. Reformatting of the input signal is accomplished by dividing format detection and reformatting tasks between a field programmable gate array (21) and a microprocessor (23).

Claims

1. An interface that receives display data input from a calculator and outputs video data, comprising:

a programmable logic device that receives the display data from the calculator, determines the type of display format used by the calculator, and outputs a format identifier signal indicating the type of display format; and

a processor that receives the format identifier signal from the logic device and responds with a control signal to the logic device to determine the processing to be performed by the logic device;

memory for storing programming for the processor;

wherein the logic device is further operable to perform hard logic processing of the display data and the processor is further operable to receive partially processed display data from the logic device and to perform software processing of the display data, with the division of tasks between hard logic processing and software processing determined at least in part by the type of display format; and

wherein the processor is further operable to output video data representing a display on the calculator and having a format suitable for display by a video device.

2. The interface of claim 1, wherein the logic device is a field programmable gate array.

3. The interface of claim 1, wherein the logic device has different units for processing different display types and wherein the control signal selects one of said units.

4. The interface of claim 1, wherein the logic device is reprogrammable and the control signal reprograms the logic device for a current display format.

5. The interface of claim 1, further comprising flash memory in data communication with the processor for providing new programming for the logic device.

6. The interface of claim 1, wherein the processing performed by the logic device is at least routing of the display data to the processor.

7. The interface of claim 1, wherein the processing performed by the logic device is at least buffering of the display data.

8. An interface that receives display data input from a calculator and outputs video data, comprising:

a programmable logic device that receives the display data from the calculator and separates a portion of the display data for use in determining the type of display format used by the calculator;

a processor that uses the portion of the display data to determine the type of display format and delivers a control signal to the logic device that determines the processing to be performed by the logic device;

memory for storing programming for the processor;

wherein the logic device is further operable to perform hard logic processing of the display data and the processor is further operable to receive partially processed display data from the logic device and to perform software processing of the display data, with the division of tasks between hard logic processing and software processing determined at least in part by the type of display format; and

wherein the processor is further operable to output video data representing a display on the calculator and having a format suitable for display by a video device.

9. The interface of claim 8, wherein the logic device is a field programmable gate array.

10. The interface of claim 8, wherein the logic device has different units for processing different display types and wherein the control signal selects one of said units.

11. The interface of claim 8, wherein the logic device is reprogrammable and the control signal reprograms the logic device for a current display format.

12. The interface of claim 8, further comprising flash memory in data communication with the processor for providing new programming for the logic device.

13. The interface of claim 8, wherein the processing performed by the logic device is at least routing of the display data to the processor.

14. The interface of claim 8, wherein the processing performed by the logic device is at least buffering of the display data.

15. A method of reformatting a display data signal from a calculator for a video device, comprising the steps of:

using a programmable logic device to receive the display data signal and deliver a portion of the signal to a processor;

using a processor to identify the signal format and to deliver a control signal to the logic device that determines the processing to be performed by the logic device;

using the logic device to perform hard logic reformatting, wherein the hard logic reformatting includes at least routing the display data to the processor; and

using the processor to perform software reformatting, such that it outputs data in a format suitable for the video device;

wherein the division of tasks between the hard logic reformatting and software reformatting is determined at least in part by the type of display format.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the division of tasks is further determined by the processing speed of the processor.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the software reformatting includes at least interpretation of command type display data.

18. A method of reformatting a display data signal from a calculator for a video device, comprising the steps of:

using a programmable logic device to receive the display data signal, identify the signal format type, and deliver a format identifier signal to a processor;

using a processor to deliver a control signal to the logic device that determines the processing to be performed by the logic device;

using the logic device to perform hard logic reformatting, wherein the hard logic reformatting includes at least routing the display data to the processor; and

using the processor to perform software reformatting, such that it outputs data in a format suitable for the video device;

wherein the division of tasks between the hard logic reformatting and software reformatting is determined at least in part by the type of display format.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the division of tasks is further determined by the processing speed of the processor.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the software reformatting includes at least interpretation of command type display data.