Multi-vision system and method of controlling the same

• US 7,250,978 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2003
• Issued: 07/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Dong Hyeon, Lee, Woo Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, TRANG U
• Application Number:
  US10/412,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20040027482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: 348564-565, 348/840, 348/383, 348/588, 345/1.1, 345/1.2, 345/2.1, 345/2.2, 345/2.3
• US Class Current: 348/383
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/12 Picture reproducers H04N9/11 takes precedence

Abstract

A multi-vision system and a method of controlling a display device usable in a multi-vision environment are disclosed. The multi-vision system includes a video source providing a video signal, a user input unit receiving multi-vision arrangement information from a user, a display device coupled to the video source for receiving the video signal. The display device, which is further coupled to the user input unit for receiving the arrangement information, initially determines an image portion of the video signal on the basis of the received arrangement information, adjusts a size of the determined image portion, and displays the size-adjusted image portion. The arrangement information indicates a user-preferred multi-vision arrangement and a position of the display device in the multi-vision arrangement.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a display device usable in a multi-vision environment, the method comprising:

displaying an entire original image corresponding to a received video signal in a multi-windows format on a display screen of the display device;

receiving multi-vision arrangement information pertaining to the display device and corresponding to the multi-windows format;

determining an image portion of the video signal for the display device on the basis of the received arrangement information, the video signal being received from a video source; and

adjusting a size of the determined image portion and displaying the size adjusted image portion on the display screen instead of the entire original image,

wherein the multi-vision arrangement information indicates a multi-vision arrangement including the display device and indicates a position of the display device within the multi-vision arrangement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step includes:

determining the size of the image portion based on the multi-vision arrangement information and resolution information of the display device; and

determining a starting point and an ending point of the image portion based on the determined image portion size.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-vision arrangement is an X*Y matrix and the multi-vision arrangement information includes column and row information indicating a physical position of the display device that corresponds to a logical position in the X*Y matrix.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step includes:

receiving a user'"'"'s selection of one of the multi-windows from the entire original image displayed in the multi-windows format, the received user'"'"'s selection indicating a relative position of the display device within the multi-vision arrangement.

5. A multi-system system comprising:

a video source providing a video signal;

a user input unit receiving multi-vision arrangement information from a user; and

a display device coupled to the video source and the user input unit for receiving the video signal and multi-vision the arrangement information,

wherein the display device displays an entire original image corresponding to a received video signal in a multi-windows format on a display screen of the display device, determines an image portion of the video signal on the basis of the received multi-vision arrangement information, adjusts a size of the determined image portion, and displays the size adjusted image portion on the display screen instead of the entire original image,

wherein the multi-vision arrangement information indicates a multi-vision arrangement and indicates by column and row a physical position of the display device within the multi-vision arrangement, and

wherein the multi-vision arrangement includes the display device and corresponds to the multi-windows format.

6. The multi-vision system of claim 5, wherein the video source is any one of a personal computer (PC), a digital video disk (DVD) player, a television (TV), a video cassette recorder (VCR), a tuner, and a set top box (STB).

7. The multi-vision system of claim 5, wherein the display device comprises:

a control unit coupled to the user input unit for receiving the multi-vision arrangement information,

wherein the control unit determines the image portion of video signal on the basis of the received multi-vision arrangement information and generates a control signal that indicates the determined image portion;

a video processor coupled to the video source for receiving the video signal, the video processor being coupled to the control unit for receiving the control signal and adjusting a size of the determined image portion which is indicated by the control signal; and

a display unit coupled to the video processor for displaying the size adjusted image portion.

8. The multi-vision system of claim 7, wherein the display unit is any one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and a projector.

9. A method of controlling a display device in a multi-vision environment, the method comprising:

receiving a video signal at the display device;

inputting multi-vision arrangement information to the display device, the multi-vision arrangement information defining an X×

Y matrix and identifying a relative position of the display device with respect to the X×

Y matrix, by displaying on a display screen of the display device a set of windows arranged in correspondence to the X×

Y matrix and selecting one window from the displayed windows, the selected window corresponding to the relative position of the display device;

assigning to the display device an image portion of the received video signal based on the input multi-vision arrangement information;

scaling the assigned image portion according to a display resolution of the display device; and

displaying the scaled image portions,

wherein the X×

Y matrix is a logical representation of a multi-vision arrangement that includes the display device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each window is displayed according to a size of a zoom area of the displayed video signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the selected window is based on a visual observation of the zoom areas.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the multi-vision arrangement information is input to the display device by a user.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein each window has a size equal to a zoom area of the displayed video signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the image portion has a starting point and an ending point, which are determined based on the size of the corresponding window.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein each window is displayed according to the multi-vision arrangement information and resolution information of the display device.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the multi-vision arrangement information includes column and row information indicating the relative position of the display device.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying on the display screen of the display device the received video signal according to the display resolution of the display device,

wherein the set of windows is displayed together with the received video signal.

18. A multi-vision system, comprising:

a display device for receiving a video signal; and

a user interface for inputting multi-vision arrangement information to said display device, the multi-vision arrangement information defining an X×

Y matrix and identifying a relative position of said display device with respect to the X×

Y matrix, by displaying on a display screen of said display device a set of windows arranged in correspondence to the X×

Y matrix and selecting one window from the displayed windows, the selected window corresponding to the relative position of said display device,

wherein said display device includes a controller for assigning to the display device an image portion of the received video signal based on the input multi-vision arrangement information, a video processor for scaling the assigned image portion according to a display resolution of said display device, and a display unit for displaying the scaled image portion, and

wherein the X×

Y matrix is a logical representation of a multi-vision arrangement that includes said display device.

19. The multi-vision system of claim 18, further comprising a source outputting the video signal.

20. The multi-vision system of claim 18, wherein the video signal source is one of a personal computer, a digital video disk player, a television, a videocassette recorder, a tuner, and a set-top box.

21. The multi-vision system of claim 18, wherein the display unit is one of a liquid crystal display, a plasma display panel, and a projector.

22. A method of controlling a multi-vision system comprising a plurality of display devices, the method comprising:

(a) simultaneously receiving a video signal at each display device;

(b) inputting multi-vision arrangement information to at least one display device, the multi-vision arrangement information defining an X×

Y matrix and identifying a relative position of the at least one display device with respect to the X×

Y matrix, by displaying on a display screen of the at least one display device a set of windows arranged in correspondence to the X×

Y matrix and selecting one window from the displayed windows, the selected window corresponding to the relative position of the at least one display device;

(c) assigning to the at least one display device an image portion of the received video signal based on the input multi-vision arrangement information; and

(d) scaling the assigned image portion according to a display resolution of the at least one display device,

wherein the X×

Y matrix is a logical representation of a multi-vision arrangement that includes said plurality of display devices.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said steps (b) through (d) are performed for each display device of the multi-vision system.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

(e) respectively displaying the scaled image portion of each display device.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein each display device is connected to a dedicated user interface and wherein the multi-vision arrangement information is input to the display device by a user operation of each user interface.

26. A multi-vision system, comprising:

a plurality of display devices for simultaneously receiving a video signal; and

a plurality of dedicated user interfaces for inputting multi-vision arrangement information to each of said display devices, the multi-vision arrangement information defining an X×

Y matrix and identifying a relative position of at least one display device with respect to the X×

Y matrix, by displaying on a display screen of the at least one display device a set of windows arranged in correspondence to the X×

Y matrix and selecting one window from the displayed windows, the selected window corresponding to the relative position of the at least one display device,

wherein each display device includes a controller for assigning to the corresponding display device an image portion of the received video signal based on the correspondingly input multi-vision arrangement information, a video processor for scaling the assigned image portion according to a display resolution, and a display unit for displaying the scaled image portion, and

wherein the X×

Y matrix is a logical representation of a multi-vision arrangement that includes said plurality of display devices.

27. The multi-vision system of claim 26, wherein the display resolution is constant for each of said plurality of display devices.

28. A multi-vision system, comprising:

a source of a video signal;

a user interface for inputting multi-vision arrangement information from a user, the multi-vision arrangement information defining an X×

Y matrix and identifying a row and column of the X×

Y matrix; and

at least one display device for displaying on a display screen of said at least one display device a set of windows arranged in correspondence to the X×

Y matrix, to enable a user selection of one window from the displayed windows based on a visual observation of the displayed windows, said at least one display device comprising;

a controller, connected to said user interface, for receiving the multi-vision arrangement information and for outputting a control signal assigning to the display device an image portion of the received video signal based on the input multi-vision arrangement information,

a video processor, connected to said video signal source, for receiving the video signal and for scaling the assigned image portion according to a display resolution of said at least one display device and the control signal output from said controller, and

a display unit for displaying the scaled image portion output from said video processor,

wherein the input multi-vision arrangement information indicates a multi-vision arrangement including said at least one display device and indicates by column and row a physical position of said at least one display device in the multi-vision arrangement.