Deinterleaving transpose circuits in digital display systems

• US 7,999,833 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Richards, Peter W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US11/963,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20080094324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 345/48, 345/50, 345/51, 345/55, 345/84, 345 87- 93, 345/103, 345/108, 345/690, 345/693, 359/242, 359/245, 359/290, 359/291, 359/295, 359/298
• US Class Current: 345/691
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/08 Active matrix structure, i.e. with use of active elements, inclusive of non-linear two terminal elements, in the pixels together with light emitting or modulating elements
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0235 Field-sequential colour display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2014 by modulation of the duration of a single pulse during which the logic level remains constant
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2022 using sub-frames
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/346 based on modulation of the reflection angle, e.g. micromirrors micromirrors devices per se G02B26/0833

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus of converting a stream of pixel data in space and time into a stream of bitplane data. In particular, the present invention converts the pixel data stream according to a predetermined output format. The apparatus of the present invention receives the pixel data in a “real-time” fashion, and dynamically performs predefined permutations so as to accomplish the predefined transpose operation. Alternatively, the pixel data are stored in a storage medium, and the apparatus of the present invention retrieves the pixel data and performs the predefined permutation to accomplish the predefined transpose operation. The methods and apparatus disclosed herein are especially useful for processing a high-speed stream of digital data in a flow-through manner and suitable for implementation in a hardware video pipeline. The control signal fanout and gate count of this invention are reduced compared to currently available similar techniques for converting pixel data into bitplane data.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a data processing unit receiving a series of pixel data streams, each pixel data stream comprising multiple data bits representing an image pixel, the data processing unit receiving the series of pixel data streams and outputting a series of bit plane data streams, each bit plane data stream representing a data bit of a common significance from a plurality of image pixels;

a memory cell array receiving the bit plane data, wherein a row of said array comprises a first and second subset, each subset having one or more memory cells;

a first wordline and a second wordline, wherein the first wordline is connected to the first subset memory cells, and the second wordline is connected to the second subset memory cells;

a first set of data to be loaded into the first subset of memory cells that are activated through the first wordline, wherein the first set of data is consecutively stored in a first region of a storage medium; and

a second set of data to be loaded into the second subset of memory cells that are activated through the second wordline, wherein the second set of data is consecutively stored in a second region of the storage medium.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory cell array is a portion of a spatial light modulator that comprises an array of pixel elements, each of which corresponds to a pixel of an image;

and wherein each memory cell corresponds to at least one pixel element of the spatial light modulator.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each pixel element of the spatial light modulator further comprises a movable mirror plate that is associated with a memory cell of the memory cell array, such that a state of the mirror plate is determined by the data stored in said memory cell.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein each memory cell is associated with a plurality of pixel elements of the spatial light modulator;

and wherein the memory cell stores a data that determines a state of one of the plurality of pixel elements.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of bit lines connected to the storage medium and the memory cells such that the data stored in the storage medium are delivered into the memory cells via the bit lines.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of data and the second set of data are bit plane data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wordline connects the even numbered memory cells of the row, and the second wordline connects the odd numbered memory cells of the row.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of data is to be loaded into the even numbered memory cells of the row and the second set of data is to be loaded into the odd numbered memory cells of the row.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory cells are charge-pump-memory cells, each of which further comprises:

a transistor having a source, a gate, and a drain;

a storage capacitor having a first plate and a second plate; and

wherein the source of said transistor is connected to a bitline, the gate of said transistor is connected to a wordline, and wherein the drain of the transistor is connected to the first plate of said storage capacitor forming a storage node, and wherein the second plate of said storage capacitor is connected to a pump signal.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory cells are DRAM cells.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the converter is associated with a sequence of clock cycles.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the converter further comprises:

a plurality of inputs, each input receiving a sequence of data signals;

a set of delay units connected to the input lines, each delay unit delaying a received data signal a predefined number of clock cycles; and

a switch connected to the delay units and the input lines for permuting received data between the input lines based on a predefined permutation rule.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the delay unit comprises one or more flip-flops.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the delay unit is a shift-register.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the switch comprises one or more multiplexers.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an image source.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the image source outputs an analog image signal.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the image source is connected to the data processing unit such that the data processing unit receives the analog image signal and transforms the analog image signal into a bit plane data.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the image source outputs pixel image data complying with a pixel data format.

20. A method for writing a memory cell array, wherein a row of the memory cell array comprises a first and second subset of memory cells, each subset having one or more memory cells, the method comprising:

receiving a series of pixel data streams, each pixel data stream comprising multiple data bits representing an image pixel;

transposing the series of pixel data streams into a series of bit plane data streams, each bit plane data stream representing a data bit of a common significance from a plurality of image pixels;

connecting the memory cells of the first subset to a first wordline, and the memory cells of the second subset to a second wordline;

storing a first and second set of data comprising at least a portion of a transposed bit plane such that the data of the first set are stored consecutively in a first region and the data of the second set are consecutively stored in a second region separate from the first region;

activating the memory cells of the first subset through the first wordline; and

loading the first set of data into the activated first subset of memory cells.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

activating the memory cells of the second subset through the second wordline; and

loading the second set of data into the activated second subset of memory cells.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of storing the first and second set of data further comprises:

storing a first set of bit plane data in the first region, and a second set of bit plane data other than the first set of bit plane data in the second region.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

connecting each memory cell to an electrode such that an electrical potential of the electrode is determined by the data stored in said memory cell.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

disposing the electrode proximate to a mirror plate of a micromirror such that an electrostatic field is established between the electrode and the mirror plate, and the mirror plate rotates in response to the established electrostatic field.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of transposing the pixel data matrix further comprises:

delivering the pixel data into a plurality of input lines that are associated with the sequence of clock cycles;

delaying the pixel data with reference to the sequence of clock cycles according to a predefined delay scheme; and

permuting the pixel data between the input lines based on a predefined permutation scheme.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of delaying is performed by one or more standard flipflop circuits.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of delaying is performed by a shift-register.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of switching is performed in response to one or more switch signals.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the switch is performed by a multiplexer having an input for the switch signal.

30. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

providing the memory cell array as a portion of a spatial light modulator that comprises an array of pixel elements, each of which corresponds to a pixel of an image; and

wherein each memory cell corresponds to at least one pixel element of the spatial light modulator.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein each pixel element of the spatial light modulator further comprises a movable mirror plate that is associated with a memory cell of the memory cell array, such that a state of the mirror plate is determined by the data stored in said memory cell.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein each memory cell is associated with a plurality of pixel elements of the spatial light modulator;

and wherein the memory cell stores a data that determines a state of one of the plurality of pixel elements.