Image display device

• US 8,296,662 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2009
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Amano, Katsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEFFINGTON, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US12/555,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20100064260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 715/754, 715/856, 715/859, 715/716, 715/719, 715/721, 715/733, 715/747, 715/756, 715/765, 715/862
• US Class Current: 715/754
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• 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: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2350/00 Solving problems of bandwidth in display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/04 Display device controller operating with a plurality of display units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

The image display includes a bandwidth calculating means that calculates bandwidth of image data transmitted from a plurality of computer devices, based on at least any one piece of information about the position and movement of a cursor displayed in a display image and a transmission amount control means that controls data transmission amounts of the plurality of computer devices, based on the bandwidth of the image data. Incidentally, the bandwidth calculating means calculates a priority level from the number of cursors existing in a display frame of each of the computer devices, and determines the bandwidth based on the priority level.

Claims

1. An image display device for displaying images, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a plurality of sets of image data corresponding to display frames of a plurality of computer devices and cursor position information data from the plurality of computer devices;

a processor; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to provide;

an image arranging unit that places a plurality of images generated from the received plurality of image data corresponding to the display frames of the plurality of computer devices in one region in a non-overlapping manner or a synthetically overlapping manner;

a cursor arranging unit that sets positions of a plurality of cursors in the one region, based on the received cursor position information data, and generates and places a plurality of cursor images in the one region;

a bandwidth calculating unit that calculates and changes bandwidth of image data received from a computer device of the plurality of computer devices, based on at least one piece of information about the position and movement of at least one of the plurality of cursors in a display area of the one region corresponding to the computer device of the plurality of computer devices; and

a transmission amount control unit that controls data transmission amounts of the plurality of computer devices, based on the bandwidth of image data.

2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the image arranging unit generates display frames corresponding to each of the plurality of computer devices, in accordance with the image data received from the plurality of computer devices, and arranges the display frames in the one region in a non-overlapping manner.

3. The image display device according to claim 2, wherein the bandwidth calculating unit increases the bandwidth of image data of a computer device transmitting the cursor position information data of the last moved cursor.

4. The image display device according to claim 2, wherein the bandwidth calculating unit increases the bandwidth of image data of a computer device transmitting the image data of the display frame having the last moved cursor located therein.

5. The image display device according to claim 2, wherein the bandwidth calculating unit increases the bandwidth of image data of a computer device transmitting the image data of the display frame having the cursor located therein.

6. The image display device according to claim 2, wherein the bandwidth calculating unit calculates a priority level from the number of cursors existing in the display frame of each of the plurality of computer devices, and determines the bandwidth based on the priority level.

7. The image display device according to claim 6, wherein the transmission amount control unit transmits a display frame update permitting signal to the plurality of computer devices in accordance with priority levels, the display frame update permitting signal allowing only one frame of the display frames displayed on the plurality of computer devices to be transmitted to the image display device.

8. The image display device according to claim 2, wherein

the bandwidth calculating unit calculates a priority level of each of the plurality of computer devices by adding a predetermined numeric value to the number of cursors existing in the display frame of each corresponding computer device, and

the bandwidth calculating unit calculates the image data bandwidth of each of the plurality of computer devices by dividing a maximum bandwidth used for image data transmission by a numeric value obtained by adding up all the priority levels, and multiplying the resultant value by the numeric value of each corresponding priority level.

9. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the image arranging unit generates display frames corresponding to each of the plurality of computer devices, in accordance with the image data received from the plurality of computer devices, and arranges the display frames in one image region in a synthetically overlapping manner.

10. The image display device according to claim 9, wherein the bandwidth calculating unit increases the bandwidth of image data of a computer device transmitting the cursor position information data of the last moved cursor.

11. The image display device according to claim 9, wherein the bandwidth calculating unit increases the bandwidth of image data of a computer device transmitting the image data of a window region having the last moved cursor located therein.

12. The image display device according to claim 9, wherein the bandwidth calculating unit increases the bandwidth of image data of a computer device transmitting the image data of a window region having the cursor located therein.

13. The image display device according to claim 9, wherein the bandwidth calculating unit calculates a priority level from the number of cursors existing in a window region of each of the plurality of computer devices, and determines the bandwidth based on the priority level.

14. The image display device according to claim 13, wherein the transmission amount control unit transmits a display frame update permitting signal to the plurality of computer devices in accordance with priority levels, the display frame update permitting signal being a signal for allowing only one frame of the display frames displayed on the plurality of computer devices to be transmitted to the image display device.

15. The image display device according to claim 9, wherein

the bandwidth calculating unit calculates a priority level of each of the plurality of computer devices by adding a predetermined numeric value to the number of cursors existing in a window region displayed on each corresponding computer device, and

the bandwidth calculating unit calculates the image data bandwidth of each of the plurality of computer devices by dividing a maximum bandwidth used for image data transmission by a numeric value obtained by adding up all the priority levels, and multiplying the resultant value by the numeric value of each corresponding priority level.

16. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the bandwidth calculating unit always maintains bandwidth of the cursor position information data transmitted from the plurality of computer devices at a predetermined bandwidth or greater, and subtracts the bandwidth of the cursor position information data from a maximum transmission bandwidth to determine a maximum image data bandwidth.

17. The image display device according to claim 16, wherein the transmission amount control unit transmits the bandwidth of the cursor position information data maintained by the bandwidth calculating unit to the plurality of computer devices, to control transmission amounts of the cursor position information data of the plurality of computer devices.

18. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission amount control unit transmits the bandwidth of image data calculated by the bandwidth calculating means to the plurality of computer devices, to control transmission amounts of the image data of the plurality of computer devices.

19. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein

in a case where the image data is transmitted by a communication process involving a flow control operation,

the transmission amount control unit transmits a reception confirmation signal or a next transmission request signal to the plurality of computer devices, when a per-unit-time reception data amount received by the receiver is not larger than the bandwidth of image data, and

the transmission amount control unit does not transmit the reception confirmation signal and the next transmission request signal to the plurality of computer devices, when the per-unit-time reception data amount received by the receiver is larger than the bandwidth of image data, image data transmission amounts of the plurality of computer devices being controlled by the transmission amount control unit.