Abstract:
A projector for projecting an image is disclosed. The projector includes a memory device containing a plurality of memory blocks for storing a plurality of image data respectively corresponding to different image sources; an integrating module coupled to the memory device for selectively reading the plurality of image data from the memory device, and for integrating at least two image data read from the memory device into an image data stored in the memory device corresponding to the image; and a projecting module for projecting the image.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a projector and a related image forming method, and more specifically, to a projector capable of serving a plurality of image sources and a related image forming method. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   The operation theory of projectors is similar to that of devices for displaying slides or transparencies; i.e. in both of the above-mentioned devices a high brightness/luminance light bulb is utilized as a light source, and the content to be displayed is projected on a white display curtain or a wall. In addition, because a projector provides several different image transmission interfaces, the projector can receive data transmitted by digital or analogue image sources, such as a computer or a television, and project the transmitted images on a white display curtain or a wall, enlarging the image scale and therefore enabling many people to see them. For this reason, projectors are usually utilized in large-scale meetings or home theaters. Modern projectors have become portable, and both size and price have been reduced, therefore giving them great potential in the current market. 
   Projectors in the current market are generally only capable of receiving images from a single image source. Even if a projector capable of connecting to different image sources simultaneously is utilized, only one image transmitted from one single image source can be displayed at any one time, meaning the user needs to control the projector to switch to different image sources to allow the different images to be seen. Different images at the same time still cannot be seen, however. To enable the user to see images from different image sources at the same time, it is necessary to utilize an external integrating system to integrate images from different image sources into a single image, to transmit the single integrated image to the projector and then to project the single integrated image. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   One of the objectives of the claimed invention is therefore to provide a projector for displaying a plurality of images from a plurality of image sources and an image forming method thereof. 
   According to the claimed invention, a projector for projecting an image is disclosed. The projector comprises: a memory device comprising a plurality of memory blocks for storing a plurality of image data corresponding to different image sources respectively; an integrating module coupled to the memory device for selectively reading the plurality of image data from the memory device, and for integrating at least two image data read from the memory device into an image data stored in the memory device corresponding to the image; and a projecting module for projecting the image. 
   According to the claimed invention, a projector is disclosed. The projector comprises: a transceiving module for receiving a first image data and a second image data; an integrating module for integrating the first image data and the second image data into an image data corresponding to an image according to a first combination; and a projecting module for projecting the image. 
   Furthermore, according to the claimed invention, an image forming method applied in a projector for projecting an image is disclosed. The image forming method comprises: providing a memory device and storing a plurality of image data into a plurality of memory blocks in the memory device, wherein the plurality of image data correspond to a plurality of image sources respectively; selectively reading the plurality of image data from the memory device, and integrating at least two image data read from the memory device into an image data stored in the memory device corresponding to the image; and projecting the image. 
   Therefore, the claimed invention utilizes an integrating module to integrate a plurality of image data corresponding to different image sources into a single image to simultaneously display the plurality of image data and to adjust the relative positions and sizes of the plurality of image data according to different combinations. 
   These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a projector according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a projector according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram of a projected image generated by the projector shown in  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 4  is a diagram of another projected image generated by the projector shown in  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 5  is flowchart of an image forming method performed by the projector shown in  FIG. 1  and the projector shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Please refer to  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a projector  100  according to the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the projector  100  comprises a transceiving module  120 , an integrating module  140 , a memory device  160  comprising a plurality of memory blocks  161 ,  162 , . . .  163 , a projecting module  180  and a control module  190 . In the present embodiment, the transceiving module  120  can be a wireless access device for transceiving packages with image sources S 1 , S 2  (not shown), as in wireless communication. For example, the image source S 1  could be a computer in which a wireless network card is installed, and the image source S 2  could be a personal digital assistant (PDA) in which a wireless network card is installed. After the transceiving module  120  receives packages P 1 , P 2  respectively from the image sources S 1 , S 2 , it is necessary to retrieve image data D 1 , D 2  from the packages P 1 , P 2  respectively and to read headers of the packages P 1 , P 2  to determine the source of each package (i.e. the image sources S 1 , S 2 ). Next, the integrating module  140  appropriately scales and adjusts the image data D 1 , D 2  and stores the scaled and adjusted image data D 1 , D 2  into the corresponding memory blocks  161 ,  162  respectively to form an integrated image data D 3 . Finally, the projecting module  180  reads the image data D 3  from the memory device  160  and projects an image corresponding to the image data D 3 . Please note that the image data D 3  contains the image data D 1 , D 2  and other image data stored in the memory device  160 . It should be noted that the image sources in the present invention are not limited to computers or PDAs, and other software or hardware capable of providing digital image data can be utilized as image sources in the present invention. That is, the above-mentioned image source could be a specific program executed by a personal computer, where only the image from the specific window is displayed. 
   Please refer to  FIG. 1  again. The integrating module  140  comprises an analyzing unit  142 , a memory management unit  144  and a scaling unit  146 . To illustrate the function of these devices, reception of the package P 1  is used as an example. After the transceiving module  120  receives the package P 1 , the analyzing unit  142  determines that the package P 1  is transmitted by the image source S 1  according to the header of the package P 1 . Next, the transceiving module  120  references a registration table to check if the connection between the image source S 1  and the projector  100  has been successfully established. If the reference result indicates that the image source S 1  has registered, the analyzing unit  142  directly transmits the image data D 1  to the scaling unit  146 . Afterwards, the scaling unit  146  scales the image data D 1  according to the size of the memory block corresponding to the image source S 1 , matching the number of pixels of the scaled image data D 1  with the size of the memory block. Finally, the scaled image data D 1  are stored into the memory block. If the query result indicates that the connection with image source S 1  has not been established yet, the analyzing unit  142  drives the transceiving module  120  to perform a three-way handshaking operation on the image source S 1  to complete establishment of the connection, and the analyzing unit  142  then records the completion of the connection establishment in the above-mentioned registration table. Afterwards, the analyzing unit  142  informs the memory management unit  144  to allocate a memory block in the memory device  160  for the image source S 1 , and then the analyzing unit  142  transmits the image data D 1  to the scaling unit  146  so that the following scaling and storing operations can be performed. 
   In addition, the control module  190  is utilized for receiving a control signal triggered by pressing a panel board of the projector, or a control signal transmitted by a remote control, and for controlling the transceiving module  120 , the integrating module  140  and the projecting module  180  according to the received control signal. A user can control the memory management unit  140  to adjust memory blocks corresponding to different image sources according to the transmitted control signal, in order to further adjust the relative positions and sizes of the plurality of sub-images corresponding to different image sources. The user also can utilize the control signal to inform the transceiving module  120  to suspend processing of an image data of a specific image source. Alternatively, the user can end a connection with a specific image source, selectively control the sub-image corresponding to the image source to remain in the final image, or utilize the control signal to adjust the task setting of the projecting module  180 , such as a focal length or a size of the projected image. 
   Please refer to  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a projector  200  according to the present invention. The projector  200  comprises a transceiving module  220 , an integrating module  240 , a memory device  260 , a projecting module  280 , and a switch unit  290 , wherein functions and structures of the transceiving module  220 , integrating module  240 , the memory device  260  and the projecting module  280  are similar to those components with the same names shown in  FIG. 1 . Hence, the detailed descriptions of the transceiving module  220 , the integrating module  240 , the memory device  260  and the projecting module  280  are not included in the following paragraph. The only difference between the above-mentioned components in  FIG. 1  and FIG.  2  is that the switch unit  290  receives a package through the transceiving module  220  and accesses a control signal from the package, in order to determine a combination for the plurality of the image data according to the control signal. This operation will be described in the following paragraph. The integrating module  240  is informed to adjust memory blocks corresponding to different image sources in the memory device  260  according to the determined combinations. Therefore, the projector  200  can determine which combination to utilize when combining several sub-images according to a package transmitted from an external control device, such as a computer. Additionally, in the present embodiment, the control signal in the package can be directly utilized to drive the projecting module  280  to change its task setting. 
   Please refer to  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 3  is a diagram of a projected image  10  generated by the projector  200 , wherein the projected image  10  corresponds to the image data D 3 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the projected image  10  contains two sub-images  20  and  30 , which are respectively utilized for displaying image data D 1 , D 2  transmitted by the image sources S 1 , S 2 . The integrating module  240  separately scales the image data D 1 , D 2  according to a combination CFG 1 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the combination way CFG 1  corresponds to two display ratios, 9/16 and 1/16, which respectively represent the ratios of the areas of the sub-images  20 ,  30  to the area of the projected image  10 . Hence, the ratio of the area of the sub-image  20  to the area of the sub-image  30  is 9:1. Please note that in the present embodiment, the image data D 1 , D 2  may contain all pixel data of the sub-images  20 ,  30 . However, the image data D 1 , D 2  can also be utilized for updating only a part of pixel data of the sub-images  20 ,  30 . 
   After the switch unit  290  receives a control signal, the switch unit  290  can provide another combination CFG 2  for the integrating module  240 . If the combination CFG 2  shows that the two display ratios are ½ and ½ respectively, the integrating module  240  scales the mage data D 1 , D 2  according to the display ratios ½ and ½ to generate a projected image  50 . Please refer to  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 4  is a diagram of the projected image  50 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the projected image  50  comprises two sub-images, sub-images  60  and  70 , respectively utilized for displaying the image data D 1 , D 2  of the image sources S 1 , S 2 , wherein the sub-images  60 ,  70  respectively occupy the left-hand part and the right-hand part of the projected image  50 . Hence, if more combinations are built into the switch unit  290 , all built-in combinations can be utilized for changing the relative positions and sizes of the sub-images  60 ,  70 . Please note that more than two sub-images are able to be shown in the present embodiment. For example, when there are three sub-images, the three sub-images can be displayed according to display ratios ½, ¼, ¼, or display ratios ⅔, ⅙, ⅙. 
   Please refer to  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 5  is a flowchart of an image forming method performed by the projector  100  shown in  FIG. 1  and the projector  200  shown in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the image forming method performed by the projectors comprises the following steps: 
   Step  302 : Start. 
   Step  304 : Be ready for receiving a package. 
   Step  306 : End all services? If yes, proceed to step  330 ; otherwise, proceed to step  308 . 
   Step  308 : Has the package been received? If yes, proceed to step  310 ; otherwise, go back to step  306 . 
   Step  310 : Read image data from the received package and determine the image source. 
   Step  312 : End the connection? If yes, proceed to step  314 ; otherwise, proceed to step  316 . 
   Step  314 : Remove the connection record from the registration table; go back to step  306 . 
   Step  316 : Has the package been transmitted from a new image source? If yes, proceed to step  320 ; otherwise, proceed to step  318 ; 
   Step  318 : Search for a memory block corresponding to the image source in a memory device; proceed to step  324 . 
   Step  320 : Perform a three-way handshaking operation on the image source to establish a connection with the image source. 
   Step  322 : Allocate a memory block for the image source after the connection has been successfully established. 
   Step  324 : Scale the image data and write the scaled image data into the memory block. 
   Step  326 : Read the memory device to form image data required by the whole image. 
   Step  328 : Project the image; proceed back to step  306 . 
   Step  330 : End. 
   When the projector is powered on, the projector receives the package using the transceiving module, and then reads the image data and the information about the image source from the package. Next, the analyzing unit establishes a connection with the image source and informs the memory management unit to allocate a memory block for the image source. If the connection with the image source has been established, the scaling unit will scale the image data and write the scaled image data into the memory block. Finally, the projecting module can project the complete integrated image according to the integrated image data. 
   In contrast with the related art, the projector and the related image forming method according to the present invention utilize an integrating module to integrate a plurality of image data of different image sources into an image data stored in the memory device corresponding to an image, and generates a projected image according to the integrated image data to achieve a goal of simultaneously displaying a plurality of images from different image sources. 
   Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.