System utilizing mixed resolution displays

• US 7,475,356 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2001
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Stewart, Paul Joseph, Baudisch, Patrick, Good, Nathaniel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roswell, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/015,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20020167458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,577 Days
• Field of Search: 345/700, 345/704, 345/788, 345/761, 345/1.1, 345/3.3, 715/700, 715/704, 715/788, 715/761
• US Class Current: 715/761
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0693 Calibration of display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/006 Electronic inspection or testing of displays and display drivers, e.g. of LED or LCD displays testing individual LED's G01R31/2635; testing lamps G01R31/44; testing of optical features of LCD displays G02F1/1309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/12 Picture reproducers H04N9/11 takes precedence

Abstract

A system utilizing two or more display units with different resolutions are combined such that the geometry of images displayed across the multiple display units is preserved and the image appears to be substantially continuous to a viewer of the image. Compatibility of the sizes of image elements on different display units is achieved by using display unit-specific scaling to compensate for the different pixel sizes on the individual display units.

Claims

1. A system for displaying a perceived continuous image across at least two display areas, each display area having a given display resolution and a given pixel size and the display resolution of at least one display area is different than the display resolution of at least one other display area such that the pixel size of at least one display area is different than the pixel size of at least one other display area comprising:

a) an application providing image information data for a display image to be displayed on at least two display areas such that a portion of the display image appears on one display area and another portion of the display image appears on at least one other display area,

b) an image replicator so arranged and constructed to receive the image information data from the application and to replicate the image information data to provide display associated image information data associated with each display area wherein the display associated image information data is to be displayed on the associated display area, and

c) a viewer associated with each display area, so constructed and arranged to receive the display associated image information data associated with the same display area from the image replicator, which receives the display associated image information data

wherein at least one viewer transforms the received display associated image information data such that when images are displayed on each display area using the display associated image information data the display image is continuous within a tolerance value and the display resolution of the portion of the display image displayed on at least one of the at least two display areas is different from the display resolution of the portion of the display image displayed on at least one other of the at least two display areas.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein there is a first viewer associated with a first display area and a second viewer associated with a second display area and the first viewer transforms the first display associated image information data and the second viewer transforms the second display associated image information data.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein there are at least three viewers.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one viewer transforms the display associated image information data by scaling the display associated image information data.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one viewer transforms the display associated image information data such that when an image is displayed from the display associated image information data, the displayed image is clipped.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one viewer transforms the display associated image information data such that when an image is displayed from the display associated image information data, the displayed image is translated.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one viewer transforms the display associated image information data such that when an image is displayed from the display associated image information data, the displayed image is color transformed.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one viewer transforms the display associated image information data such that when an image is displayed from the display associated image information data, the displayed image is rotated.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising an input collector so arranged and constructed for receiving user input data from a user and providing the collected user input data to the application wherein the application receives and responds to the user input data to provide image information data.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising display areas associated with and responsive to each viewer for displaying an image on the associated display area from the image information data.

11. A system for displaying a perceived continuous image across first and second display areas, each display area having a given display resolution and a given pixel size and the display resolution of the first display area is different than the display resolution of the second display area such that the pixel size of at least one display area is different than the pixel size of at least one other display area comprising:

a) an application providing image information data for a display image to be displayed on the first and second display areas such that a portion of the display image appears on the first display area and a portion of the display image appears on the second display area,

b) an image replicator replicating the image information data to provide first image information data associated with the first display area and second image information data associated with the second display area wherein the first image information data is to be displayed on the first display area and the second image information data is to be displayed on the second display area,

c) a first viewer associated with the first display area for receiving the first image information data, and

d) a second viewer associated with the second display area for receiving the second image information data

wherein at least one of the first and second viewers transforms the received image information data such that when images are displayed on the first and second display areas from the first and second image information data the resulting display image on the first and second display areas is continuous within a tolerance value and the display resolution of the image displayed on the first display area is different then the display resolution of the image displayed on the second display area.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the first viewer transforms the first image information data and the second viewer transforms the second image information data.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the first viewer transforms the first image information data by scaling the image information data.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the first viewer transforms the first image information data by such that when an image is displayed from the first image information data, the displayed image is clipped.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the first viewer transforms the first image information data such that when an image is displayed from the first image information data, the displayed image is translated.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the transforms the first image information data such that when an image is displayed from the first image information data, the displayed image is color transformed.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the first viewer transforms the first image information data such that when an image is displayed from the first image information data, the displayed image is rotated.

18. The system of claim 11 further comprising an input collector for receiving user input data from a user and providing the collected user input data to the application wherein the application receives and responds to the user input data before providing image information data.

19. The system of claim 11 further comprising display areas associated with and responsive to the first and second viewers for displaying an image on the first and second display areas from the first and second image information data.

20. A system for displaying a perceived continuous image across first and second display areas, each display area having a given display resolution and a given pixel size and the display resolution of the first display area is different than the display resolution of the second display area such that the pixel size of at least one display area is different than the pixel size of at least one other display area comprising:

a) an input collector for receiving user input data,

b) an application receiving user input data from the input collector responsive to the user input data for providing image information data for a display image to be displayed on two displays areas such that a portion of the display image appears on the first display and a portion of the displayed image data appears on the second display area,

c) an image replicator replicating the image information to provide first image information data associated with the first display area and second image information data associated with the second display area wherein the first image information data is to be displayed on the first display area and the second image information data is to be displayed on the second display area,

d) a first viewer associated with the first display area for receiving first image information data,

e) a second viewer associated with the second display area for receiving second image information data wherein at least one of the first and second viewers transforms the associated image information data such that when images are displayed on the first and second display areas from the first and second image information data the resulting image on the first and second display areas is continuous within a tolerance value,

f) a first display area responsive to the first viewer for displaying an image using the first image information data, and

g) a second display area responsive to the second viewer for displaying an image.