Patent ID: 6208319
Filing Date: 2001-03-27
Classification: G09G,Y10S

Abstract:
A display device in which a plurality of display elements are arranged in a matrix form to constitute a two-dimensional pixel arrangement so as to display information on the two-dimensional pixel arrangement, each of said display elements having a function to change a display state of a pixel by applying electric power, the display device comprising:a device body (100) including plural display elements (10) for constituting the two-dimensional pixel arrangement and a controller (16) for changing display states of said plural display elements;an electric power source (30) for delivering electric power to said display elements; anda control unit (40) for delivering a display signal for designating display states of said display elements;wherein plural kinds of software divisional modes for dividing the two-dimensional pixel arrangement into plural blocks are defined, the respective software divisional modes being represented by divisional level information indicating fineness of division, and address information for indicating the respective blocks are defined for the respective software divisional modes;wherein the control unit delivers, to the controller a display signal including said divisional level information, said address information and data information; andwherein, when the display signal is supplied to the controller, the controller executes a display operation for changing a display state of a display element or elements belonging to a particular block indicated by the address information so that the display state is changed to a new state indicated by the data information, said particular block being selected from among the plural blocks which are obtained when the two-dimensional pixel arrangement is divided by a divisional mode indicated by the divisional level information,wherein a divisional mode indicated by a divisional level n is defined in which the two-dimensional pixel arrangement is divided by 2.sup.n in length and breadth directions so that 2.sup.2n number of blocks are obtained and N kinds of divisional modes are defined with respect to n=1, 2 . . . , i, . . . N.