JPWO2000057398A1 - Method and apparatus for displaying bitmap multicolor image data on a dot matrix display screen with three primary color lamps arranged in a dispersed manner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] A display screen is constructed by uniformly arranging a large number of pixel lamps in a regular pattern. There are three types of pixel lamps (first to third color lamps), and the image data to be displayed on the screen is multicolor data in a bitmap format, in which one pixel is represented by a collection of three types of color data (first to third color data). Each color data plane in the bitmap image data plane is divided into many groups, each group consisting of multiple adjacent pixels, and each group is associated with a first color lamp on the display screen. The first color data of multiple pixels belonging to one group is repeatedly selected in a predetermined order, and the first color lamps corresponding to each group are driven to emit light in accordance with the selected first color data. (The same applies to the second and third color lamps.)

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

<Technical Field> This invention relates to a method and device for displaying bitmap multicolor image data on a dot-matrix display screen in which three primary color lamps made of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or the like are dispersed and arranged, and in particular to a technology for realizing high-definition, high-quality full-color display. <Background Art> As a typical example, a dot-matrix LED full-color display device with 480 vertical lines and 128 horizontal dots will be described. Each of the 61,440 pixel lamps is an LED multicolor collective lamp in which LEDs of the three primary colors RGB (red, green, and blue) are closely packed together. The pixel data that drives one pixel lamp is 8 bits each for RGB, for a total of 24
It is made up of 16,777,216 bits of data, and is capable of expressing a full color of 16,777,216 colors. The image data for one screen is (61,440 x 24) bits of data. For small display screens, a multicolor LED lamp is used in which each RGB LED chip is molded into one lens body, and each of these multicolor LED lamps is uniformly arranged in a matrix on the screen as a pixel lamp. For large display screens, an appropriate number of red LED lamps, green LED lamps, and blue LED lamps, each molded into a lens body, are integrated to form one multicolor LED collective lamp, and one of these collective lamps is
Each LED acts as a pixel lamp and is arranged uniformly in a matrix on the screen. In either case, one pixel data in the bitmap image data corresponds to one pixel lamp on the display screen, and an image is materialized on the screen by driving the red, green and blue lamps in one pixel lamp to emit light according to the red, green and blue data contained in one pixel data. Recently, high-brightness blue LEDs have become practical, and research and development of dot matrix LED full-color display devices has begun in earnest. Previously, LEDs
Display devices used to handle very simple images such as advertising messages and information messages made up of letters and designs.
It has become increasingly common to use a wide variety of images, such as live action images and computer graphics images, provided by NTSC video signals and high-definition video signals used in general television broadcasting systems and VTRs. Television broadcasting video technology has made remarkable progress through a long history of research and development, and the image expression performance of NTSC and high-definition video signals far exceeds the expression capabilities of current LED full-color display devices. This has led to an extremely strong demand for higher performance LED full-color display devices. There are two possible approaches to improving the performance of LED full-color display devices. One is to increase the array density of the pixel lamps that make up the display screen to improve resolution. The other is to improve the resolution by increasing the array density of the pixel lamps that make up the display screen, while minimizing the high image expression capabilities of NTSC and high-definition video signals, so that they can be well adapted to LED full-color display devices, for which it is difficult to improve their physical expression capabilities.
The objective of the present invention is to devise an image signal processing method. <Disclosure of the Invention> This invention was made based on the technical viewpoint described in the previous section, and its purpose is to realize a high-definition, high-quality full-color display on a dot-matrix display screen in which three primary color lamps are dispersed. ===First Invention=== The first invention is specified by the following items (1) to (7): (1) A method for displaying bitmap multicolor image data on a dot-matrix display screen in which three primary color lamps are dispersed. (2) The display screen is constructed by uniformly arranging a large number of pixel lamps in a regular pattern. There are three types of pixel lamps: first color lamps, second color lamps, and third color lamps, and each of these three types of pixel lamps is uniformly dispersed on the display screen. (3) The image data to be displayed on the screen is bitmap multicolor data in which one pixel is represented by a collection of first color data, second color data, and third color data. (4) Dividing the first color data plane in the bitmap image data plane into a large number of groups, each group consisting of a plurality of adjacent pixels, and associating each group with a first color lamp on the display screen, and calculating the first color of the plurality of pixels belonging to each group.
(5) Dividing the second color data plane in the bitmap image data plane into a large number of groups, each group consisting of a plurality of adjacent pixels, and associating each group with a respective second color lamp on the display screen, and driving the second color lamps corresponding to the plurality of pixels belonging to one group to emit light, the operation of selecting color data in a predetermined order is repeated at high speed, and the first color lamps corresponding to the plurality of pixels belonging to one group are driven to emit light.
(6) Dividing the third color data plane in the bitmap image data plane into a large number of groups, each group consisting of a plurality of adjacent pixels, and associating each group with a respective third color lamp on the display screen, and driving the third color lamps corresponding to the plurality of pixels belonging to one group to emit light, the operation of selecting color data in a predetermined order is repeated at high speed, and the second color lamps corresponding to the plurality of pixels belonging to one group are driven to emit light.
The operation of selecting color data in a predetermined order is repeated at high speed, and the third color lamps corresponding to each group are driven to emit light in accordance with the selected third color data. (7) The grouping of the first color data plane, the grouping of the second color data plane, and the grouping of the third color data plane are determined by the first color lamps and the second color lamps on the display screen.
The first and second color lamps are misaligned and partially overlap each other in the bitmap image data plane in correlation with the misalignment of the arrays of the first and second color lamps. ===Second Invention=== The method of the first invention, characterized in that a total of four pixels in two rows and two columns adjacent to each other in the bitmap image data plane form one group. ===Third Invention=== The method of the first invention, characterized in that a total of nine pixels in three rows and three columns adjacent to each other in the bitmap image data plane form one group. ===Fourth Invention=== The method of the first invention, characterized in that a total of 16 pixels in four rows and four columns adjacent to each other in the bitmap image data plane form one group. ===Fifth Invention=== The method of the first invention, characterized in that the groups of the same color partially overlap each other in the bitmap image data plane. ===Sixth Invention=== The method of the first invention, characterized in that the groups of the same color do not partially overlap each other in the bitmap image data plane. Seventh Invention: The method of the first invention is characterized in that the regularity for sequentially selecting multiple pixels belonging to one group is unified. Eighth Invention: The method of the first invention is characterized in that the regularity for sequentially selecting multiple pixels belonging to one group differs between adjacent groups. Ninth Invention: The display device of the ninth invention operates based on the display method of any one of the first to eighth inventions, and comprises a dot-matrix display screen unit in which the first, second, and third color lamps are dispersedly arranged, a drive circuit unit that individually drives the first, second, and third color lamps to emit light, an image data storage unit that stores bitmap multicolor image data to be displayed, and a data distribution control unit that distributes and transfers the image data stored therein to the drive circuit unit. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention: Example of Pixel Lamp Arrangement on a Display Screen: Figure 1 shows a pixel lamp arrangement according to one embodiment of the invention. Of course, what is shown is only a portion of the display screen, not the entire screen. A large number of pixel lamps are arranged in a regular matrix at a fixed pitch both vertically and horizontally on the display screen. There are three types of pixel lamps: red lamp R, green lamp G, and blue lamp B. These are LED lamps. As explained in the prior art, one pixel lamp is not made up of a cluster of red lamps, green lamps, and blue lamps. Instead, each red lamp R, green lamp G, and blue lamp B is arranged in a matrix at a fixed pitch, regardless of color, and each red lamp R, green lamp G, and blue lamp B is uniformly distributed on the display screen. Note that in this explanation, "one" of red lamp R, green lamp G, or blue lamp B does not literally refer to a lamp made up of one LED chip, but also refers to a lamp made up of one LED chip.
This expression also includes lamps in which multiple LED chips of the same color are densely packed. In the specific example shown in Figure 1, red lamps R and green lamps G are alternately arranged in odd-numbered rows, and green lamps G and blue lamps B are alternately arranged in even-numbered rows. Green lamps G are also arranged below red lamps R, and alternating rows of red lamps R and green lamps G are adjacent to alternating rows of green lamps G and blue lamps B in the column direction. The total numbers of red lamps R, green lamps G, and blue lamps B on the entire screen are in a ratio of 1:2:1. The brightness characteristics and drive circuit characteristics of each of the red lamps R, green lamps G, and blue lamps B are selected so that the entire screen displays white when the red lamps R, green lamps G, and blue lamps B are driven to emit light according to the same gradation data. In other words, when one red lamp R, two green lamps G, and one blue lamp B that are adjacent to each other are driven to emit light according to the same gradation data, the light from these four lamps is mixed in juxtaposition by the human visual system and appears white (white balance formula Y=0.299R+0.5
87G+0.114B). ===Correspondence between Image Data and Pixel Lamps=== As shown in FIG. 2, the image data to be displayed on the screen is multi-color data in bitmap format, with one pixel represented by a set of red data r, green data g, and blue data b. The red data r, green data g, and blue data b are each 8 bits, allowing for full color representation of 16,777,216 colors. The red lamp R, green lamp G, and blue lamp B on the display screen correspond to the red data r, green data g, and blue data b on the bitmap image data plane as follows, and an image is displayed. In FIG. 1, first focus on the red lamp R33 on the display screen. A group of four pixel data, 33, 34, 43, and 44, arranged in two adjacent rows and two adjacent columns on the bitmap image data plane in FIG. 2, is associated with this red lamp R33. From this pixel group (33, 34, 43, 44), red data r33 → red data r34
→ red data r44 → red data r43 are selected in order, and supplied to the driving circuit of the red lamp R33 in order, and the red lamp R33 is driven by the red data r33 → r34
→r44→r43 in this order. This operation is repeated at high speed. For example, the lamp is driven once in a cycle of 1/120 seconds using data for four pixels. Next, attention is paid to the green lamp G34 to the right of the red lamp R33. This green lamp G34 is driven by the pixel group (34, 35) on the bitmap image data plane.
, 44, 45) are associated with this pixel group (34, 35, 44, 45)
is the pixel group (33, 34, 43, 44) associated with the red lamp R33
From the pixel group (34, 35, 44, 45), green data g34 → green data g35 → green data g45 → green data g44 are selected in this order, and these are supplied to the drive circuit of the green lamp G34 in this order, and the green lamp G34 is driven by the green data g34 →
The light is emitted in the order g35, g45, and g44. This operation is repeated at high speed in synchronization with the red control. Next, attention is paid to the green lamp G43 below the red lamp R33. This green lamp G43 is connected to the pixel group (43, 44) on the bitmap image data plane.
, 53, 54) are associated with each other.
is the pixel group (33, 34, 43, 44) associated with the red lamp R33
From the pixel group (43, 44, 53, 54), green data g43 → green data g44 → green data g54 → green data g53 are selected in this order, and these are supplied in this order to the drive circuit of the green lamp G43, and the green lamp G43 is driven by the green data g43 →
The light is emitted in the order g44 → g54 → g53. This operation is repeated at high speed in synchronization with the red control. Next, attention is paid to the blue lamp B44 located just below and to the right of the red lamp R33. This blue lamp B44 is connected to the pixel group (44, 4) on the bitmap image data plane.
This pixel group (44, 45, 54, 55) is associated with the pixel group (44, 45, 54, 55).
) is the pixel group (33, 34, 43, 44) associated with the red lamp R33
From the pixel group (44, 45, 54, 55), blue data b44 → blue data b45 → blue data b55 → blue data b54 are selected in this order, and supplied to the drive circuit of blue lamp B44, which drives blue lamp B44 with blue data b44 →
Light emission is driven in the order b45 → b55 → b54. This operation is repeated at high speed in synchronization with the red control. === Local and Overall === The local correspondence explained in detail above is generalized to the entire display screen and the entire bitmap image data plane with the same regularity. Regarding the above example, there are two methods for generalization. In the first method, red lamp R35, two lamps to the right of red lamp R33, which was the starting point in the previous explanation, is assigned to a pixel group (3
The red lamp R53, which is two lamps below the red lamp R33, corresponds to the pixel group (5
By generalizing this correspondence across the entire screen, the bitmap image data is displayed on the display screen, and the image displayed in this way is recognized by the human visual system. According to this first method, one lamp of a certain color is driven to emit light in sequence according to the data of four adjacent pixels. Also, when focusing on one pixel data of a certain color, that information is reflected in only one lamp. In the second method, red lamp R35, two lamps to the right of red lamp R33, which was the starting point in the previous explanation, is driven to emit light according to the pixel group (3
The red lamp R53, which is two lamps below the red lamp R33, corresponds to the pixel group (4
3, 44, 53, 54). Furthermore, red lamp R37, which is two lamps to the right of red lamp R35, is associated with a pixel group (35, 36, 45, 46) on the bitmap image data plane, and red lamp R73, which is two lamps below red lamp R53, is associated with a pixel group (53, 54, 63, 64) on the bitmap image data plane. ◎ By generalizing this correspondence across the entire screen, the bitmap image data is expanded on the display screen, and the image expanded in this way is recognized by the human visual system. According to this second method, one lamp of a certain color is expanded by four adjacent lamps.
The light is emitted sequentially according to the pixel data. This is the same as the first method. However, unlike the first method, in the second method, when one pixel data of a certain color is focused on, that information is reflected with a slight time lag in the four lamps above, below, left and right that correspond to that color. === Other Preferred Embodiments === In accordance with the local correspondence relationship explained in detail above, and in accordance with the second method explained in detail above,
The display method that generalizes the local area to the entire screen using the method above will be called the first algorithm. Next, we will explain the second algorithm, which is a slight modification of the first algorithm. The second algorithm uses the same generalization method as the first algorithm, but the local correspondence relationship is slightly different. We will explain the local correspondence relationship of the second algorithm in detail. In Figure 1, first, we will focus on the red lamp R33 on the display screen. This red lamp R33 is connected to a total of four pixel data 33 in two adjacent rows and two adjacent columns on the bitmap image data plane of Figure 2.
, 34, 43, 44 are associated with each other.
, 43, 44) to red data r44 → red data r43 → red data r33 →
The red data r34 is selected in order and supplied to the drive circuit of the red lamp R33 in order, and the red lamp R33 is driven to emit light in accordance with the red data r44 → r43 → r33 → r34 in that order. This operation is repeated at high speed. For example, the lamp is driven once in a cycle of 1/120 seconds using data for four pixels. Next, attention is focused on the green lamp G34 to the right of the red lamp R33. This green lamp G34 is driven by the pixel group (34, 35) on the bitmap image data plane.
, 44, 45) are associated with this pixel group (34, 35, 44, 45)
is the pixel group (33, 34, 43, 44) associated with the red lamp R33
From the pixel group (34, 35, 44, 45), green data g44 → green data g45 → green data g35 → green data g34 are selected in this order, and these are supplied to the drive circuit of the green lamp G34 in this order, and the green lamp G34 is driven by the green data g44 →
The light is emitted in the order g45 → g35 → g34. This operation is repeated at high speed in synchronization with the red control. Next, attention is paid to the green lamp G43 below the red lamp R33. This green lamp G43 is connected to the pixel group (43, 44) on the bitmap image data plane.
, 53, 54) are associated with each other.
is the pixel group (33, 34, 43, 44) associated with the red lamp R33
From the pixel group (43, 44, 53, 54), green data g44 → green data g43 → green data g53 → green data g54 are selected in this order, and these are supplied in this order to the drive circuit of the green lamp G43, and the green lamp G43 is driven by the green data g44 →
The light is emitted in the order g43 → g53 → g54. This operation is repeated at high speed in synchronization with the red control. Next, attention is paid to the blue lamp B44 located just below and to the right of the red lamp R33. This blue lamp B44 is connected to the pixel group (44, 4) on the bitmap image data plane.
This pixel group (44, 45, 54, 55) is associated with the pixel group (44, 45, 54, 55).
) is the pixel group (33, 34, 43, 44) associated with the red lamp R33
From the pixel group (44, 45, 54, 55), blue data b44 → blue data b45 → blue data b55 → blue data b54 are selected in this order, and supplied to the drive circuit of blue lamp B44, which drives blue lamp B44 with blue data b44 →
The lamps are driven to emit light in the order b45 → b55 → b54. This operation is repeated at high speed in synchronization with the red control. According to the above rule, the lamps are driven once in a cycle of 1/120 seconds using data for four pixels. This cycle period (1/30 seconds) is called one frame, and each of the 1/120 second periods into which one frame is divided is called one field. Furthermore, the four fields within one frame are distinguished by being called the first field, second field, third field, and fourth field in order. In the local correspondence relationship of the second algorithm, in the first field, the four lamps R33 and G34 are driven in accordance with pixel data 44 (r44, g44, b44).
G43 and B44 are driven to emit light simultaneously. In the second field, pixel data 4
In the fourth field, two lamps R33 and G43 are simultaneously illuminated according to pixel data 3, and two lamps G34 and B44 are simultaneously illuminated according to pixel data 45. In the fourth field, two lamps R33 and G34 are simultaneously illuminated according to pixel data 34, and two lamps G43 and B44 are simultaneously illuminated according to pixel data 54. The second algorithm generalizes the above local correspondences to the entire screen using the second method described above. When generalized to the entire screen, focusing on one pixel data selected in a certain field, four adjacent lamps are simultaneously driven to emit light according to the three primary color data of that pixel data. ===Relationship with the Human Visual System=== As is well known, when the temporal frequency characteristics and spatial frequency characteristics of the human visual system are analyzed separately for image luminance information and chromaticity information, luminance information has a higher sensitivity to higher frequencies than chromaticity information. Therefore, even if a display screen is constructed by distributing red, green, and blue lamps at a uniform pitch, rather than by placing RGB lamps as close as possible to form one pixel as in the conventional method, there is almost no noticeable degradation in the reproducibility of the chromaticity information of the image due to the effect of juxtaposition additive color mixing in the human visual system. Meanwhile, image resolution is solely dependent on luminance information. The display method of this invention does not faithfully reproduce the inherent resolution of bitmap image data. However, this invention does not discard image information as in the conventional data thinning method, and achieves sufficiently high resolution reproducibility. ===Other Embodiments=== The display screen configuration of this invention is such that a large number of pixel lamps are uniformly arranged on the screen in a regular pattern, and there are three types of pixel lamps: a first color lamp, a second color lamp, and a third color lamp. Each of these three types of pixel lamps is uniformly distributed on the screen. The specific lamp arrangement is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 1; the present invention can be applied to various lamp arrangement patterns in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment, and the same effects as in the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained. Two lamp arrangement patterns different from the embodiment of FIG. 1 are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, red lamps R, green lamps G, and blue lamps B are arranged in this order in the row direction, and three color lamps are also arranged in this order in the column direction. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, red lamps R, green lamps G, and blue lamps B are arranged in this order in the row direction, with the lamp arrangement offset by a half pitch for each row. If a first color lamp and a second color lamp are adjacent to each other in a certain row, a third color lamp is arranged in close proximity in the row above and below these two lamps. Also, in the embodiment described in detail above, a total of four pixel data in two adjacent rows and two columns on the bitmap image data plane of FIG. 2 is treated as one group, and this group is associated with one pixel lamp. There are also various embodiments of this. For example, in the bitmap image data plane of FIG. 2, a target pixel, the pixel immediately to the right of the target pixel, and the pixel immediately below the target pixel, a total of three pixels, are treated as one pixel lamp.
Alternatively, a total of nine pixel data in three rows and three columns on the bitmap image data plane in FIG. 2 are grouped into one group and correspond to one pixel lamp.
Each group is assigned to one pixel lamp.
A total of 16 pixel data in four rows and four columns adjacent to each other on the bitmap image data plane in FIG. 2 are grouped together, and the group is associated with one pixel lamp.
Even with this type of correspondence, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be achieved. Display devices that achieve full-color display using a combination of four-primary-color LEDs are also known. By uniformly arranging pixel lamps of the first, second, third, and fourth colors in a regular pattern based on the concept of the above-described embodiment to form a display screen, preparing bitmap image data in which a single pixel is represented by a collection of color data for the first, second, third, and fourth colors, and then associating and controlling the distribution of each pixel and color data on the image data plane with each pixel lamp on the display screen based on the concept of the present invention, the effects of the present invention described below can be achieved in an equivalent manner. == ... FIG. 5 shows the pixel arrangement on the bitmap image data plane represented by marks. As in the previous explanation, first, focus on the red lamp R33 on the display screen. The 16 pixels labeled "1" on the data plane of FIG. 5 correspond to this red lamp R33, and this group will be called "1." Next, focus on the green lamp G34 to the right of the red lamp R33. The 16 pixels labeled "a" on the data plane of FIG. 5 correspond to this green lamp G34, and this group will be called "a." Next, focus on the green lamp G43 below the red lamp R33. The 16 pixels labeled "a" on the data plane of FIG. 5 correspond to this green lamp G43, and this group will be called "a." Next, focus on the blue lamp B44 below and to the right of the red lamp R33. The blue lamp B44 is associated with 16 pixels marked with "A" on the data plane in Figure 5, and this is called group "A." The four groups "1,""a,""A," and "A" are grouped in such a way that they partially overlap and are misaligned with each other on the bitmap image data plane, as shown in Figure 5, in correlation with the misalignment of the arrangement of the red lamp R33, green lamp G34, green lamp G43, and blue lamp B44 on the display screen. The 16 pixels belonging to each group "1,""a,""A," and "A" are divided into four subgroups of four pixels each, as shown in Figure 5, and the subgroups are called subgroup ○, subgroup □, subgroup ◇, and subgroup △. Also,
The one field mentioned above is divided into four fields with a period of 1/480 seconds. To explain this, for example, the first field mentioned above is assumed to consist of four fields, namely, field 1a, field 1b, field 1c, and field 1d. When simply referring to the first field, this refers to the entirety of these four fields. In the first field, the red lamp R33 is driven according to the data for four pixels of the subgroup △ in group "1". Field 1a → 1
In the sequence of field b → 1st field c → 1st field d, four pixels of subgroup △ are selected in order clockwise from the top left pixel. In the second field, data for four pixels of subgroup ◇ is selected in the same order as above (clockwise from the top left pixel) and red lamp R33 is driven. In the third field, data for four pixels of subgroup ○ is selected in the same order as above (clockwise from the top left pixel) and red lamp R33 is driven. In the fourth field, data for four pixels of subgroup □ is selected in the same order as above (clockwise from the top left pixel) and red lamp R33 is driven. In the first field, green lamp G34 is driven according to data for four pixels of subgroup △ in group "a". Field 1a → 1st
In the sequence of field b → 1st field c → 1st field d, four pixels of subgroup △ are selected in order clockwise from the top left pixel. In the second field, data for four pixels of subgroup ◇ is selected in the same order as above (clockwise from the top left pixel) and green lamp G34 is driven. In the third field, data for four pixels of subgroup ○ is selected in the same order as above (clockwise from the top left pixel) and green lamp G34 is driven. In the fourth field, data for four pixels of subgroup □ is selected in the same order as above (clockwise from the top left pixel) and green lamp G34 is driven. In the first field, green lamp G43 is driven according to data for four pixels of subgroup △ in group "A". Field 1a → 1st
In the sequence of field b → 1st field c → 1st field d, four pixels of subgroup △ are selected in order clockwise from the top left pixel. In the second field, data for four pixels of subgroup ◇ is selected in the same order as above (clockwise from the top left pixel) and green lamp G43 is driven. In the third field, data for four pixels of subgroup ○ is selected in the same order as above (clockwise from the top left pixel) and green lamp G43 is driven. In the fourth field, data for four pixels of subgroup □ is selected in the same order as above (clockwise from the top left pixel) and green lamp G43 is driven. In the first field, blue lamp B44 is driven according to data for four pixels of subgroup △ in group "A". Field 1a → 1st
In the sequence of field b → field 1c → field 1d, the four pixels of subgroup △ are selected in clockwise order starting from the top left pixel. In field 2, the data for four pixels of subgroup ◇ is selected in the same order as above (clockwise starting from the top left pixel) and blue lamp B44 is driven. In field 3, the data for four pixels of subgroup ○ is selected in the same order as above (clockwise starting from the top left pixel) and blue lamp B44 is driven. In field 4, the data for four pixels of subgroup □ is selected in the same order as above (clockwise starting from the top left pixel) and blue lamp B44 is driven. The third algorithm generalizes the above local correspondences across the entire screen with the same regularity as algorithm 2. In other words, red lamp R35, located two lamps to the right of red lamp R33, which was the starting point in the previous explanation, is associated with 16 pixels in group "2" on the image data plane of Figure 5, while red lamp R53, located two lamps below red lamp R33, is associated with 16 pixels in group "3" on the image data plane of Figure 5. The third algorithm achieves the same excellent effects as the second algorithm. ===Configuration of Display Device=== One of the features of the display device of this invention is embodied in the hardware configuration in the pixel lamp arrangement of the display screen. This has already been explained. The display device of this invention comprises a dot-matrix display screen with such a pixel lamp arrangement, a drive circuit for individually driving the numerous red lamps R, green lamps G, and blue lamps B included in the display screen, an image data storage unit for storing bitmap multicolor image data to be displayed, and a data distribution control unit for distributing and transferring the image data stored therein to the drive circuit. The essentials of this hardware configuration are essentially the same as those of conventional devices. What is notably different from conventional devices is the temporal processing by which the data distribution control unit distributes image data from the memory unit to each lamp driving cell in the driving circuit unit, and the correspondence between pixel data and pixel lamps. This has also been described in detail. Since it is not particularly difficult for those skilled in the art to determine the circuit and computer processing methods by which this technical matter is realized, a detailed description will be omitted here. == ... Furthermore, live action images and computer graphics images provided by NTSC video signals and high-definition video signals used in general television broadcasting systems and VTRs are extremely high-quality image data, and the digital bitmap image data obtained by sampling and quantizing this data with high precision is much denser than the density of the pixel lamp array on the display screen. This is the technical premise of the present invention. The present invention specifically provides a method for controlling the display of image data composed of sufficiently high-density pixels on a display screen with a relatively low-density pixel array, so that the high expressive power of the image data can be reproduced without degrading it as much as possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawings]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a pixel lamp arrangement on a display screen according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram of bitmap image data for explaining the operation of the present invention. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a pixel lamp arrangement on a display screen according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a pixel lamp arrangement on a display screen according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a bitmap image data plane for explaining the operation of another embodiment of the present invention.

───────────────────────────────────────────────────── Continued from the front page (81) Designated Countries EP(AT,BE,CH,CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE), OA (BF, BJ , CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP(GH, GM, K E, LS, MW, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, ZW ), UA(AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AG, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, CA, CH, C N, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, DZ, EE , ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, K P, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU , LV, MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, S G, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, TZ , UA, UG, US, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW (Note) This publication is based on the international publication by the International Bureau (WIPO). Please note that the effect of the international publication of the Japanese-language patent application (Japanese-language utility model registration application) related to this publication arises pursuant to Article 184-10, Paragraph 1 of the Patent Act (Article 48-13, Paragraph 2 of the Utility Model Act), and is unrelated to this publication.

Claims (9)

[Claims] [Claim 1] The invention is defined by the following items (1) to (7): (1) A method for displaying bitmap multicolor image data on a dot-matrix display screen in which three primary color lamps are distributed. (2) The display screen is constructed by uniformly arranging a large number of pixel lamps in a regular pattern. There are three types of pixel lamps: a first color lamp, a second color lamp, and a third color lamp, and each of these three types of pixel lamps is uniformly distributed on the display screen. (3) The image data to be displayed on the screen is bitmap multicolor data in which one pixel is represented by a collection of first color data, second color data, and third color data. (4) The first color data plane in the bitmap image data plane is divided into many groups, each group consisting of multiple adjacent pixels, and each group is associated with a first color lamp on the display screen, and the first color of multiple pixels belonging to one group is displayed.
(5) Dividing the second color data plane in the bitmap image data plane into a large number of groups, each group consisting of a plurality of adjacent pixels, and associating each group with a respective second color lamp on the display screen, and driving the second color lamps corresponding to the plurality of pixels belonging to one group to emit light, the operation of selecting color data in a predetermined order is repeated at high speed, and the first color lamps corresponding to the plurality of pixels belonging to one group are driven to emit light.
(6) Dividing the third color data plane in the bitmap image data plane into a large number of groups, each group consisting of a plurality of adjacent pixels, and associating each group with a respective third color lamp on the display screen, and driving the third color lamps corresponding to the plurality of pixels belonging to one group to emit light, the operation of selecting color data in a predetermined order is repeated at high speed, and the second color lamps corresponding to the plurality of pixels belonging to one group are driven to emit light.
The operation of selecting color data in a predetermined order is repeated at high speed, and the third color lamps corresponding to each group are driven to emit light in accordance with the selected third color data. (7) The grouping of the first color data plane, the grouping of the second color data plane, and the grouping of the third color data plane are determined by the first color lamps and the second color lamps on the display screen.
Corresponding to the misalignment of the arrays of the color lamp and the third color lamp, they are partially overlapped and misaligned with each other on the bitmap image data plane. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a total of four pixels arranged in two rows and two columns adjacent to each other on the bitmap image data plane form one group. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a total of nine pixels arranged in three rows and three columns adjacent to each other on the bitmap image data plane form one group. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a total of 16 pixels arranged in four rows and four columns adjacent to each other on the bitmap image data plane form one group. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said groups of the same color overlap in said bitmap image data plane. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said groups of the same color are non-overlapping in said bitmap image data plane. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the regularity for sequentially selecting a plurality of pixels belonging to one group is unified to one. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the regularity of sequentially selecting the pixels belonging to one group differs between adjacent groups. 9. A display device that operates based on the display method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising: a dot matrix type display screen portion in which the first color lamp, the second color lamp, and the third color lamp are dispersedly arranged;
It is composed of a drive circuit section that drives the second color lamp and the third color lamp to emit light individually, an image data storage section that stores the bitmap multicolor image data to be displayed, and a data distribution control section that distributes and transfers the image data stored therein to the drive circuit section.