JPH07199889A - Display controller - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To realize a screen saver screen that satisfies the screen burn-in prevention function and is highly decorative. [Configuration] A transfer area 41 to the display memory is fixedly set in the saver window memory 26. First, black (non-display) is drawn in the saver window memory 26, and then the moving image window 42 is drawn. In this case, the drawing position of the moving image window 42 in the memory 26 is changed for each frame by, for example, random number generation. This allows
The image content in the transfer area 41 becomes a moving image with a black background, and the display position and size of the moving image change sequentially.
Then, by transferring the contents of the transfer area 41 to the display memory, a moving image with a black background is displayed on the screen while changing its size and display position at random (FIG. 2 (a)).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display control device for controlling an image to be displayed on a screen of a display device, and more particularly to a display for controlling an image display for preventing burn-in of the screen of the display device. Regarding the control device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A window system, which is conventionally provided only in a relatively expensive computer such as a workstation, is becoming a standard even in an inexpensive personal computer. This window system
A GUI (Graphical User Interface) -based user interface is provided to the user. A rectangular area called a window is displayed on the screen of a display device, and various application programs are executed in the window. Graphical images such as menus, buttons, icons, and dialog boxes specified by each application program are expanded in this window, and the user can select and specify those graphical images using a pointing device such as a mouse. The desired work can be performed with easy operation.

However, when personal computers have become widely used by general users, and they have come to be used as client machines such as terminal devices and LANs (local area networks) in offices as well. The problem of screen burn-in on those displays has come to the fore.

That is, in a CRT (Cat-hode Ray Tube) display which is widely used as a computer display, a phosphor is applied to the surface of the screen so as to correspond to each pixel, and the phosphor of each pixel is applied. By irradiating an electron beam generated from an electron gun, a desired image can be displayed on the screen.

In this case, when the same image is displayed on the screen for a long time, the phosphor of a specific pixel is continuously irradiated with the electron beam for a long time, and as a result, the phosphor of the pixel is deteriorated. Resulting in. When the phosphor is deteriorated in this way, the phosphor continues to emit light even when the irradiation of the electron beam is stopped. As a result, a phenomenon called "image sticking" occurs, and after that, a constant image afterimage continues to be displayed on the screen.

This is caused, for example, by the user's usage such as leaving the seat for a long time while displaying the work screen on the display.
Software for preventing such screen burn-in is generally called "screen saver". This screen saver is activated when a key input or mouse operation does not occur for a certain period of time, and controls the screen to prevent burn-in. Conventionally, this control was performed by simply stopping the image display on the screen, but recently, it has also been used as a kind of ornament in offices by displaying moving images such as simple computer graphics and animations. I'm starting to take charge.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a conventional screen saver display system that emphasizes such decorativeness. The screen 1 shown in the upper right part of the figure shows the display contents displayed on the screen of the display by the application program when the screen saver is not operating. In this example, three windows are displayed in an overlapping manner. On the other hand, screen 2 shown in the upper left of the figure
Indicates the display contents displayed on the screen by the screen saver replacing the display screen 1 of the application program.

When the screen saver is activated, the above screen 2 is displayed.
Draws the contents of to the frame memory for the display.
That is, the own screen 2 is overwritten on the display screen 1 of the application program that has been drawn in the frame memory until then. As a result, after the screen saver is activated, the screen 3 having the contents shown in the lower center of the figure, that is, the display screen of the screen saver is displayed as it is. The screen saver rewrites the display content of the screen 3 at a constant cycle to display an animated image of the fish 3a swimming on the screen.

[0009]

However, when the above-mentioned display system is used, the image in a specific area on the screen may have a fixed content. With this, the original purpose of the screen saver cannot be the function of preventing screen burn-in.

An object of the present invention is to realize a display control device having a screen saver function capable of completely preventing image sticking on a screen of a display without impairing decorativeness.

[0011]

The invention according to claim 1 is
It has the following means. The first control means generates a first window and displays it on the screen of the display unit.

The second control means generates a second window and displays it on the first window while sequentially changing its display position. In the first window, for example, a still image is displayed. The still image may be, for example, an entirely black (non-display) image. Also, a moving image such as an animation is displayed in the second window.

The invention according to claim 2 has the following means. The monitoring means monitors whether an input event to the information processing device does not occur for a predetermined time or longer.

The first control means generates a first window and displays it on the screen when the monitoring means monitors that the occurrence of the input event does not occur for the predetermined time or longer.

The second control means generates a second window and displays the first window on the screen so that the display position of the first window changes sequentially. In the first window, moving images such as animations and computer graphics are displayed. Further, for example, a still image is displayed in the second window. In the still image, for example, all pixels are black (non-display)
The image may be.

[0016]

The operation of the invention according to claim 1 is as follows.
The first control means displays the generated first window on the entire surface of the screen of the display unit, for example. The second control means, for example, after the first window is displayed, generates a second window having a size smaller than that of the first window, and displays the second window on the first window. Display it on the screen while changing its position randomly.

Therefore, by making the first window the same size as the all black (non-display) screen and displaying the moving images such as computer graphics and animation in the second window. A screen saver function that completely prevents screen burn-in and also has a decorative function is realized.

The operation of the invention described in claim 2 is as follows. The monitoring means constantly monitors the occurrence of an input event from the keyboard, mouse, etc., and when the input event does not occur for a predetermined time or more, notifies the first control means to that effect.

The first control means, upon receiving the notification,
Create a first window and display it on the screen. The second control means is activated by, for example, an instruction from the user, and generates the second window. This second
Window is, for example, entirely black (not displayed), and its size is the same size as the screen, for example. next,
The second control means displays the second window on the screen, and then displays the first window on the first window. In this case, the display position of the first window on the second window is controlled so as to sequentially and randomly change.

Therefore, also in the present invention, by displaying a moving image in the second window, as in the previous invention, it is possible to completely prevent burn-in of the screen and provide a screen saver having a function as a decorative screen. It becomes possible to do. Also, if the user does not perform key input or mouse operation for a certain period of time or more, a moving image (first window) is automatically displayed on the screen of the display unit, which is convenient.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing apparatus having a screen saver function that is an embodiment of the present invention.

The CPU 10 is a central processing unit that executes a program such as an OS (operating system) loaded on a main memory (not shown) to control the entire system, and is composed of a microprocessor or the like.

The program file 11 is a file in which various application programs are stored,
For example, it is created in an external storage device such as a magnetic disk device or a magneto-optical disk device.

The program processing unit 12 reads the application program stored in the program file 11 from the external storage device and executes it. The display memory 13 is a graphic video RAM (graphic video RAM) that stores bitmap image data.
The image of the multi-window screen image and the image of the screen saver screen image drawn by the screen savers I21 and II22 described later are stored in the bitmap format.

The display unit 14 is composed of, for example, a screen display device such as a CRT display or a liquid crystal display. Bit map image data stored in the display memory 13 is converted into a video signal via a display control unit (not shown). Type in the format and display a multi-window screen or a screen saver screen on the screen.

The window processing section 15 performs processing relating to all windows displayed on the screen of the display section 14. That is, the generation of a window on the screen, the iconification of the window, the menu display in the window, the change of the window size, the movement of the display position of the window, etc. are drawn to the display memory 13 by drawing the bitmap image data. By doing.

The window memory 16 is a memory for storing management information necessary for the window processing unit 15 to perform the window display control as described above, bitmap image data of each window, and the like. For example, a RAM (random access) -Rewritable semiconductor memory such as memory). The management information includes the display position of the window currently displayed on the screen.
The size, a pointer to the bitmap image data, information about the application executed in the window, information about the display order of the windows when a plurality of windows are overlaid and displayed, and the currently active window There are information for managing, and information about icons and menus displayed in each window. It should be noted that an ID (identifier) is assigned to the generated window, and when a window generation request is received from the program processing unit 12, the ID of the window generated based on the request is returned.

The mouse 17 is a pointing device used for selecting an icon or a menu on the display screen of the display unit 14, and the mouse cursor moves on the display screen as the mouse 17 moves. Further, it is provided with a plurality of buttons that are operated by clicking or double-clicking when selecting the icon or menu.

The key input unit 18 is, for example, a file such as a document file created by an application program (for example, word processing software) executed in a window displayed on the screen of the display unit 14. It is provided with a plurality of keys such as alphanumeric and kana keys used for inputting characters into the inside, function keys, and cursor keys used for screen scrolling within a window.

The mouse 17 and the key input unit 18 are both connected to the CPU 10 through the corresponding interfaces (not shown), and when the user operates them, the operation information of them is obtained. The CPU 10 is notified by an interrupt via the corresponding interface.

The screen saver I21 displays a moving image on the screen of the display unit 14 for preventing image sticking on the screen of the display unit 14. The drawing of the moving image is performed, for example, in the moving image window memory 22 which is a bitmap memory having the same size as the screen. The moving image drawing process is performed by executing the moving image program 23 stored in an external storage device such as a magnetic disk. When displaying the moving image on the screen of the display unit 14, the screen saver I21 requests the window processing unit 15 to generate a window having the same size as the screen, and the window processing unit 15 outputs the window ID. receive. Then, by using the ID, the bitmap data in the moving image window memory 22 is transferred to the window processing unit 15, and the drawing request of the bitmap data in the window is performed. As a result, the window processing unit 15 stores the screen saver I in the window memory 16.
The bit map data of the moving image requested by 21 is held as image data of the window to which the ID is assigned. The screen saver I21 is activated by the CPU 10 when there is no input from the key input unit 18 or the mouse 17 for a certain time or more.

Next, the screen saver II 25 is a module that functions as a higher-order module of the screen saver I 21 and causes the moving image window generated by the screen saver I 21 to be displayed on the screen of the display unit 14 as a child window of its own window. The screen saver II 25 uses the saver window memory 26 as a working memory for drawing a bitmap image for its own window and for drawing the moving image window as a child window of the own window.

The saver window memory 26 is provided in the display unit 1.
It is a bitmap memory having a bitmap memory space larger than that of the four screens. Screen saver ii
Prior to drawing on the screen, 25 requests the window processing unit 12 to generate a window and receives the ID of its own window from the window processing unit 12. Then, the window processing unit 12 is requested to draw its own window using this window ID as a parameter. Also, the screen saver I2 is used for this drawing.
The window ID of 1 is acquired via a shared memory (not shown), and the window data of the screen saver I21 is acquired from the window processing unit 12 using the window ID as a parameter. Then, by using the window data, the window data (the moving image data) in its own window
The display position of is changed every time and is displayed on the screen of the display unit 14.

In the above configuration, the program processing section 1
2, window processing unit 15, mouse 17, key input unit 1
8, screen saver I21, and screen saver II
25 is connected to the CPU 10 via the bus 30.

Although not shown in the drawing, a specific switch for activating the screen saver II 25 is also provided. Next, a display control method of the screen saver screen in the information processing apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in the method shown in FIG. 3A, the image area displayed on the entire screen of the display unit 14, that is, the transfer area 41 to the display memory 13 is fixedly set in the saver window memory 26. On the other hand, the position in the memory 26 of the moving image window 42 created by the screen saver I21 is randomly determined by the screen saver II25. That is, the screen saver II 25 determines its position by, for example, generating a random number. As a result, the display area 4 of the moving image window 42
2b is a portion that overlaps with the transfer area 41 indicated by hatching in the figure.

For the reasons described above, the drawing position of the moving picture window 42 in the saver window memory 26 changes randomly, so that the moving picture moves on the screen of the display unit 14 while changing the size and the display position. Become. The contents of the saver window memory 26 are all black, that is, non-display data. As described above, the moving image window 42 is a child window of the window of the screen saver II 25 (hereinafter referred to as the saver window II for convenience). Therefore, in the screen saver screen, the area other than the movie window is completely black (not displayed).
Becomes

Next, FIG. 6B is a diagram for explaining another screen saver screen display control method. In this method, contrary to the above method, in the saver window memory (saver window II) 26, the moving image window 4
The position of 2 is fixed, and the position of the transfer area 41 is changed at random. Even in this method, the transfer area 41
Since the relative positional relationship between the moving picture window 42 and the moving picture window 42 changes, the moving picture window 42 is displayed on the screen of the display unit 14.
However, the display position and the size thereof change as in the first method. Also in this case, Saver Window II
On the whole area 26, black (non-display data) is drawn.

As described above, in both of the above two methods, the screen saver screen is always composed of a moving image part and a black (non-display) part. Then, since both the display content and the display position of the moving image area randomly change,
It is extremely unlikely that a specific area on the screen will be constantly displayed. As a result, the original function of the screen saver can be fully achieved. In addition, by displaying the moving image, the function as the decorative property is sufficiently fulfilled.

In any of the above methods, the saver window memory 26 is set with an orthogonal xy coordinate system whose origin is the upper left corner 26a, and the random number value (x _R ,
y _R ) is the pixel 42a at the upper left corner of the moving image window 42 (in the case of the method shown in FIG. 9A) or the upper left corner 4 of the transfer area 41.
It is used as a coordinate value indicating the point 1a (in the case of the method of FIG. 2B). Then, the range of the random number values (x _R , y _R ) is appropriately controlled.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a mechanism in which the screen saver screen 61 is displayed on the screen of the display unit 14 by the method shown in FIG. 2 (b). First, in the state where the multi-window screen 51 during execution of the application program is displayed on the screen, if operation is not performed with the key input unit 18 or the mouse 17 for a certain period of time, it is not shown in FIG. The moving image window 42 is displayed on the entire screen by the screen saver I21. Then, after that, the user operates, for example, a specific key of the key input unit 18 to save the screen saver II2.
5 is activated, the moving image window (saver window I) 42 is placed at a position randomly determined by the screen saver II 25 in the all-black saver window II 26.
Is overwritten. Then, the bitmap data of the portion corresponding to the transfer area 41 in the saver window II 26 after the overwriting is transferred to the display memory 13 via the window processing unit 12, and the saver window as shown in the lower part of the figure is displayed on the screen. A screen saver screen 61 having II26 as a parent window and the moving image window 42 as a child window is displayed.

Since the display contents and display area of the moving picture window 42 are changed every moment by the screen saver II 25, the moving picture window 42 is displayed on the screen as shown in chronological order in FIGS. 4 (a), 4 (b) and 4 (c). Then, a screen saver screen 61 composed of a black region 61b and a moving image region 61m, which are shaded in the drawings as shown on the right side of (a), (b) and (c), is displayed.

Next, the operations of the screen saver I21 and the screen saver II25 which control the display of the screen saver screen 61 by the above-described method will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively.

First, the operation of the screen saver I21 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The screen saver I21 is activated by the CPU 10 when an event such as a key input or a mouse operation does not occur for a predetermined time or more.

Upon activation, first, the window processing unit 16 is requested to generate a window having the same size as the screen of the display unit 14, and the window processing unit 16 receives the ID of its own window. Then, this is set to a predetermined address in a shared memory (not shown). Further, similarly, an active flag (not shown) provided in the shared memory is set to ON (S11).

Next, the moving picture program 23 is activated (S
12), image data for the moving picture window 42 is generated in the moving picture window memory 22 (S13). Then, using the own window ID and the like as an argument, the window processing unit 15 is requested to draw the bitmap image data in the moving image window memory 22. As a result, the window processing unit 15 draws the bitmap image data in the image data storage area of the window for the screen saver I21 secured in the window memory 16, that is, the moving image window 42. And
The bitmap image data is transferred to the display memory 13, and the moving image window 4 is displayed on the entire screen of the display unit 14.
2 is displayed (S14).

Subsequently, the above-mentioned screen saver II 25
The CPU 10 is inquired as to whether or not an input event such as a key input or a mouse operation other than a specific switch operation for activating is generated (S15), and if those input events have not occurred (S16, NO), The processes of steps S12 to S15 are repeated again, and the moving image window 42 of the next frame is displayed on the screen of the display unit 14.

On the other hand, if an input event other than the operation of the specific switch has occurred in step S16, the window processing unit 15 is requested to display the original screen,
The display on the screen of the display unit 14 is returned to the original screen for the user via the window processing unit 15, and the active flag in the shared memory is set to OFF (S1
7), ends its operation.

As a result of the above operation, when a predetermined time or more elapses after the key input section 18 or the mouse 17 is not operated, the screen of the display section 15 is automatically changed from the input screen for the user to the screen of the moving picture window 42. And the screen burn-in of the display unit 15 is automatically prevented.

Next, the operation of the screen saver II will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The user activates the screen saver II 25 by operating the specific switch. Then, when the operation is detected by the CPU 10, it is activated by the CPU 10.

When activated, the screen saver 25 first requests the window processing unit 15 to generate its own window, and acquires the ID of its own window from the window processing unit 15 (S21).

Next, the bitmap image data of the saver window II 26 in which all the pixels are black (non-display) is drawn in the saver window memory 26 (S22). Then, the active flag in the shared memory is checked to determine whether the screen saver I21 is currently active (S23).

If active, the window ID of the screen saver I21 is acquired from the shared memory. Then, the window ID is passed as an argument to the window processing unit 15, and the window of the screen saver I21 (moving image window 42) is passed from the window processing unit 15 to the window processing unit 15.
Data is acquired and stored in the internal working memory (S24).

Next, after generating a random number to obtain a random number value, a predetermined timer value is set in a timer variable area provided in a memory (not shown) (S25). Next, the window of the acquired screen saver I21 (moving image window 4
The bitmap image data of 2) is drawn in the area corresponding to the random number value in the saver window memory 26 by the method described above (S26).

Then, the window processing unit 15 is requested to draw the bitmap data of the area corresponding to the transfer area 41 in the saver window memory 26 in its own window, and the display data of the window data of the screen saver I21 is displayed. Request to stop drawing to 13.

At this time, the ID of the own window is passed as an argument to the window processing section 15 and a request is made to make the own window the active window. Upon receiving this request, the window processing unit 15 receives the window memory 16
The window data for the screen saver II 25 therein is updated, and the updated window data is transferred to the display memory 13. As a result, a window screen is displayed on the display unit 15 with the window of the screen saver II 25 as the parent window and the window of the screen saver I21 (moving image window 42) as a child window (S27).

Then, the key input section 18 or the mouse 17
From C to see if the event corresponding to the input has occurred
An inquiry is made to P10 (S28), and if the input has not occurred, then the timer value set in step S25 is subtracted, and it is determined whether or not a timeout has occurred (S29). Then, if the time-out has not yet occurred (S29, N
O), and the processes of steps S26 to S28 are repeated again.

In this manner, if there is no input from the key input unit 18 or the mouse 17, the moving image area 61 is displayed on the screen of the display unit 14 for a fixed time set by the timer.
A screen saver screen 61 of a fixed image including m and a black area (non-display area) 61b is displayed (see FIG. 4).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S29 that the timeout has occurred (S29, YES), the process returns to step S22. , And the above step S23
If it is determined that the screen saver I21 is still active, the steps S24 to S27 are performed again. In this way, if there is no input from the key input unit 18 or the mouse 17 while the screen saver I21 is active,
On the screen of the display unit 14, the screen saver screen 61 whose image content changes at certain time intervals is displayed (see FIGS. 4 (a), 4 (b) and 4 (c)).

When it is detected in step S28 that there is an input from the key input unit 18 or the mouse 17, the window processing unit 15 is requested to display the original user screen before the screen saver I21 is activated. To do. As a result, the user screen is displayed again on the screen of the display unit 15 (S32).

If it is determined in step S23 that the screen saver I21 is not currently active, the bitmap data of the transfer area 41 in the saver window memory 26 is transferred to the window processing section 15 as the bitmap data of its own window. Then, the window processing unit 15 is requested to display its own window. In this case, since the bitmap data of the transfer area is all black (non-display), the screen of the display unit 14 is entirely black. That is, the non-display state is set (S30).

Then, the key input section 18 or the mouse 17
The process of inquiring of the CPU 10 as to whether or not an input has occurred is repeated until the message with the input is received (S31).

When the message with the input is received from the CPU 10, the process of step S32 is performed,
The screen screen of the display unit 14 is returned to the original user screen, and the operation of the user ends.

As described above, when the screen saver II 25 is activated when the screen saver I 21 is inactive, the screen saver I 25 hides the screen of the display unit 14 to prevent screen burn-in. After that, when the user operates the key input unit 18 or the mouse 17,
The original user screen is displayed on the screen, and the operation ends.

In the above example, the screen saver II2
5 is activated by an instruction from the user, but like the screen saver I21, it may be activated by the CPU 10 when there is no key input or mouse operation for a certain period of time. In this case, the screen saver II 25 may activate the screen saver I 21.

As described above, in this embodiment, in order to prevent the screen of the display unit 15 from being burned in, the moving image is displayed on the entire surface of the screen, and the moving image has a black background in response to a request from the user. Display as a child window of the parent window. At this time, since the display position, display content, and size of the moving image continuously change, it is possible to prevent the specific area of the screen from being constantly displayed. Further, since the moving image is displayed while changing its position at random, the function as a decorative property is extremely high.

In the above embodiment, the screen saver I
The display position of the moving picture window 42 generated by 21 is changed on the screen so that a part of the moving picture window 42 is mainly displayed on the screen. Alternatively, the control may be performed so that the entire moving image window 42 is always displayed on the screen. In addition, a plurality of screen savers for displaying moving images of the same type as the screen saver I21 are prepared, and individual moving images generated by these screen savers are sequentially switched and displayed on the screen as child windows in the parent window with a black background. May be.

[0068]

According to the invention of claim 1, for example,
By making the first window a black (non-display) window having the same size as the screen of the display unit and displaying a moving image whose contents change sequentially in the second window, burn-in of the screen can be completely prevented. At the same time, it is possible to perform screen display with excellent decoration.

According to the invention of claim 2, the first
By displaying, for example, a moving image whose display content changes from moment to moment in the window of, and displaying a window of the same size as the screen of the display unit in the second window, for example, entirely black (non-display). In addition, it is possible to completely prevent the screen burn-in and to display a screen with excellent decoration on the screen. Also, if no key input or mouse operation is performed for a certain period of time,
Since the first window is automatically displayed, the function as the screen saver is also realized by this display.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an information processing apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a display method of a screen saver screen in the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen saver screen of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a temporal change in display contents of the screen saver screen.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of screen saver I. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of screen saver II.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an operation of a conventional screen saver.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 CPU 13 Display Memory 14 Display Section 15 Window Processing Section 16 Window Memory 17 Mouse 18 Key Input Section 21 Screen Saver I 22 Video Window Memory 23 Video Program 25 Screen Saver II 26 Saver Window Memory

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A first control means for generating a first window and displaying it on a screen of a display unit, and a second window for generating a display position on the first window. And a second control unit for displaying while sequentially changing the display control device. 2. A monitoring unit that monitors whether an input event to the information processing device does not occur for a certain period of time or more, and at a point of time when the monitoring unit monitors that the occurrence of the input event does not occur for the certain period of time or more. A first control means for generating one window and displaying it on the screen; and a second window for changing the display position of the first window on the second window. And a second control unit for displaying a screen on the display.