Method and device for displaying at least two images within one combined picture

• US 7,050,112 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micronas Gmbh (TDK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Micronas Gmbh (TDK Corporation)
• Inventors: Rieder, Peter, Hahn, Marko, Schu, Markus, Tuschen, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Natnael, Paulos M.
• Application Number:
  US10/161,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20020196369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 348563-569, 348/588, 382/268, 382/294, 345/115, 345/629, 345/638, 345/641
• US Class Current: 348/565
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• 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

Abstract

A device for processing a first video signal and a second video signal that contain image data which overlap within a combined picture includes a processing element and a controller. The processing element receives the first video signal containing first image pixel data and receives the second video signal containing second image pixel data, and processes the first video signal and the second video signal to generate a third video signal indicative of an overlap region of images formed by the first and second video signals. The controller receives the first video signal, the second video signal, and the third video signal, and in response to a plurality of control signals selectively outputs one of the first, second and third video signals, wherein the third video signal is a weighted sum of the first and second video signals, wherein the control signals comprise a first control signal indicative of the location and size of a first image associated with the first video signal within a picture and a second control signal indicative of the location and size of a second image associated with the second video signal within the picture.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a first image and a second image which at least partially overlap within one combined picture, said method comprising:

receiving a first video signal to display the first image within a first active region of the combined picture, the first video signal containing the video information for adjacent pixels of the first image in temporally sequential form;

receiving a second video signal to display the second image within a second active area of the combined picture, the second video signal containing the video information for adjacent pixels of the first image in temporally sequential form;

generating a third video signal from the first and second video signals to display a third image in an overlap region of the first and second active regions; and

for each pixel location within the combined picture, generating an output signal by assigning video information associated with the pixel location from the first video signal to the output signal whenever the pixel location within the combined picture lies within the first active region, and assigning video information from the second video signal to the output signal whenever the pixel location within the combined picture lies within the second active region, and wherein the video information from the third video signal is assigned to the output signal whenever the pixel location of the combined picture lies within the overlap region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the third video signal comprises summing the first video signal and the second video signal to generate the third video signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the third video signal comprises:

multiplying the first video signal by a first weighting factor to generate a first weighted video signal and multiplying the second video signal by a second weighting factor to generate a second weighted video signal; and

summing the first and second weighted video signals to generate the third video signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first and second weighting factors are a function of the position of the associated pixel within the overlap region.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first and second weighting factors vary over a time period which is greater than the time period within which the video information for the combined picture is transmitted.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first and second weighting factors may each include a value between zero and one, and the sum of the first and second weighting factors is equal to one.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the first and second weighting factors are equal.

8. Device for displaying a first image and a second image which at least partially overlap within a combined picture said device comprising:

a first input to feed a first video signal to display the first image within a first active region of the combined picture, wherein the first video signal contains video information for adjacent pixels of the first image in temporally sequential form;

a second input to feed a second video signal to display the second image within a second active region of the combined picture, wherein the second video signal contains video information for adjacent pixels of the second image in temporally sequential form;

a logic circuit that is responsive to the first and second video signals to generate a third video signal from the first and second video signals to display a third image within an overlap region of the first and second active regions;

a multiplexing device that receives the first, second, and third video signals and generates an output signal to display the combined picture, wherein the multiplexing device assigns the video information from the first video signal to the output signal whenever the associated pixel of the combined picture lies within the first active region, wherein the multiplexing device assigns the video information from the second video signal to the output signal whenever the associated pixel of the combined picture lies within the second active region, and wherein the multiplexing device assigns the video information from the third video signal to the output signal whenever the associated pixel of the combined picture lies within an overlap region of the first and second active regions.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein a plurality of control signals are input to the multiplexing device, the plurality of control signals contain information on the position of the first and second active regions and of the overlap region, and are employed in the multiplexing device to assign the video information from the first, second, and third video signals to the output signal.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the logic circuit comprises an adder which adds the first and second video signals to generate the third video signal.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the logic circuit comprises a first multiplier which is connected in series before the adder and which multiplies the first video signal by a first weighting factor, and a second multiplier which is connected in series before the adder and which multiplies the second video signal by a second weighting factor.

12. A device for processing a first video signal and a second video signal that contain image data which overlap within a combined picture, said device comprising:

a processing element that receives the first video signal containing first image pixel data and receives the second video signal containing second image pixel data, and processes the first video signal and the second video signal to generate a third video signal indicative of an overlap region of images formed by the first and second video signals;

a controller that receives the first video signal, the second video signal, and the third video signal, and in response to a plurality of control signals selectively outputs one of the first, second and third video signals, wherein the third video signal is a weighted sum of the first and second video signals, wherein the control signals comprise a first control signal indicative of the location and size of a first image associated with the first video signal within a picture and a second control signal indicative of the location and size of a second image associated with the second video signal within the picture;

a first multiplier that multiplies the first video signal by a first scaling factor to provide a first weighted video signal;

a second multiplier that multiplies the second video signal by a second scaling factor to provide a second weighted video signal; and

a summer that sums the first and second weighted video signal to provide the third video signal.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the sum of the first and second scaling factors is equal to one, and the values of the first and second scaling factors are between zero and one.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the control signals comprise periodic control signals.