Patent Publication Number: US-2003227490-A1

Title: Control apparatus and method of display device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2002-57576, filed Sep. 23, 2002, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0003] The present invention relates to display control apparatus and method, and more particularly, to control apparatus and method of controlling a variety of functions of a display device, including on screen display (OSD) application programs, according to a control value input through an input unit of a computer coupled to the display device.  
       [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art  
       [0005] In changing display setting values, such as a size of a screen, brightness, contrast, and visibility, in a related art display device, an OSD menu screen is used, and there are two methods of controlling the OSD menu screen in a display device.  
       [0006] The two methods are a direct control method using buttons of a monitor and an indirect control method in which, using an OSD program in an external computer, the OSD menu screen is displayed on a computer monitor, and desired changes in the display setting values are transferred to the computer monitor from the external computer through a universal serial bus (USB) interface.  
       [0007] As shown in FIG. 1, a display device using the direct control method includes a signal processing unit  110 , an OSD mixing unit  120 , a monitor control unit  130 , an OSD module  140 , a key input unit  150 , and a memory  160 .  
       [0008] In the memory  160 , monitor display setting values including a size of a screen, brightness, contrast, visibility, that are set using an OSD menu are stored.  
       [0009] The signal processing unit  110  converts a first signal, which is input from an external apparatus, into a digital signal, converts the digital signal into a second signal complying with R, G, B types, compresses or extends the second signal into R, G, B data having resolution complying with display specifications, and then outputs the R, G, B data. By doing this process, the signal processing unit  110  performs signal processing.  
       [0010] The key input unit  150  is attached to the display device (monitor), generally has key buttons for inputting information needed in executing the OSD menu, and includes a menu key button, a +/− key button, and a set key button.  
       [0011] The monitor control unit  130  controls the OSD module  140  according to a key value input through the key input unit  150 , generates an OSD screen to change the monitor display setting values according to the OSD menu, and outputs the OSD screen to the OSD mixing unit  120 .  
       [0012] Then, the OSD mixing unit  120  mixes the R, G, B data output from the signal processing unit  110  with an OSD screen signal output from the OSD module  140 , and displays a mixed scene on a display unit such as an LCD panel.  
       [0013] The monitor control unit  130  updates display specifications selected on the displayed OSD screen, by replacing the monitor display setting values stored in the memory  160  with new monitor display setting values input through the key input unit  150 .  
       [0014] However, in this related art direct control method, in order to control the OSD menu, buttons attached to the monitor should be manually manipulated and this causes an inconvenience to users.  
       [0015] Also, in the related art indirect control method, if an input image is not correctly displayed due to abnormal screen setting values of the display device, the OSD menu itself is not displayed, and when a signal that cannot be processed by the display device is input to the display device, an OSD application program of the computer cannot be normally executed due to distortion of the screen.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016] To solve the above and/or other problems, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide control apparatus and method of controlling an OSD module contained in a circuit installed in a display device according to information input by an input unit of a computer through a USB interface coupled between the display device and the computer.  
       [0017] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.  
       [0018] According to an aspect of the present invention, an on screen display (OSD) control apparatus of a display device includes an OSD module which generates a menu screen signal to set display state information of the display device according to an OSD control command, an interface unit which performs data communications between the display device and a computer coupled to the display device, and a display control unit which controls the OSD module according to OSD control information of the computer that is received through the interface unit, and transmits information indicating an output state of an OSD menu screen to the computer through the interface unit.  
       [0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling an OSD module installed in a display device includes determining whether OSD control information of a computer is sent through an interface unit while performing communications with the computer, analyzing the OSD control information, generating a control command to control the OSD module according to the analyzed result, and controlling the OSD module according to the control command. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0020] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:  
     [0021]FIG. 1 is a diagram of a structure of an OSD control apparatus of a conventional monitor;  
     [0022]FIG. 2 is a diagram of a structure of an OSD control apparatus of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0023]FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart showing an OSD control method performed in the display device shown in FIG. 2; and  
     [0024]FIG. 4 is a detailed flowchart showing the OSD control method shown in FIG. 3.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0025] Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.  
     [0026] As shown in FIG. 2, an OSD control apparatus of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a signal processing unit  210 - 1 , an OSD mixing unit  210 - 2 , a display control unit  210 - 3 , an OSD module  210 - 4 , an interface unit  210 - 5 , a computer control unit  220 - 1 , and an input unit  220 - 2 .  
     [0027] Among the above modules of the OSD control apparatus, the signal processing unit  210 - 1 , the OSD mixing unit  210 - 2 , the display control unit  210 - 3 , the OSD module  210 - 4 , and the interface unit  210 - 5  are included in a display device  210 , and the computer control unit  220 - 1  and the input unit  220 - 2  are included in a computer  220 .  
     [0028] More specifically, the signal processing unit  210 - 1  includes an analog/digital conversion circuit, a format converting circuit, and a scaler (scaling) circuit. The signal processing unit  210 - 1  receives input signals provided by signal providing apparatuses, such as the computer  220  connected to the display device  210 , converts the received input signals into digital signals, then converts the digital signals into R, G, B type signals, compresses or extends the R, G, B type signals into R, G, B data having a resolution complying with display specifications, and then outputs the R, G, B data. By doing this process, the signal processing unit  210 - 1  performs signal processing.  
     [0029] The display control unit  210 - 3  sends OSD state information indicating an OSD output state to the computer control unit  220 - 1  through the interface unit  210 - 6 . By analyzing OSD control information sent by the computer control unit  220 - 1  through the interface unit  210 - 6 , the display control unit  210 - 3  generates an OSD control command to control the OSD module  210 - 4 .  
     [0030] Then, while an OSD graphic screen (OSD menu or OSD menu screen) is output, the display control unit  210 - 3  analyzes event information (coordinates of a cursor and a state of a button) of a mouse, which is provided by the computer control unit  220 - 1 , and according to a result of the analysis, controls the OSD module  210 - 4 , and updates display setting values, which have been changed, in the memory  210 - 5 .  
     [0031] When a display setting environment is desired to be changed, the OSD module  210 - 4  generates the OSD graphic screen by displaying display setting specifications, such as horizontal and vertical sizes, or horizontal and vertical positions, contrast, brightness, or visibility, in letters and figure shape graphics according to an OSD control signal provided by the display control unit  210 - 3 , so that a user of the display device can determine the display setting specifications with confirmation on a OSD graphic screen.  
     [0032] The OSD mixing unit  210 - 2  performs overlapping processing for a first signal (the R, G, B data output from the signal processing unit  210 - 1  and a second signal (OSD graphic screen) output from the OSD module  210 - 4 , and displays a result of the overlapping processing on a display unit such as an LCD panel.  
     [0033] In the memory  210 - 5 , setting values of the display setting specifications that are set through the OSD menu, such as the brightness, the contrast, or the visibility, are stored.  
     [0034] The interface unit  210 - 6  enables data communications between the display control unit  210 - 3  and the computer control unit  220 - 1  through a USB port in a polling method or an interrupt method. Here, the computer  220  operates as a USB host while the display device  210  operates as a USB device. Also, other interface methods, such as a serial method and a DDC method may be applied to the interface unit  210 - 6 .  
     [0035] The input unit  220 - 2  of the computer  220  is a unit through which data is inputted to change the setting values of the display setting specifications by using the OSD menu, and includes a keyboard and the mouse.  
     [0036] The computer control unit  220 - 1  generates the OSD control information to control the OSD menu according to a key value input from the input unit  220 - 2 , and sends the OSD control information to the interface unit  210 - 6 . Particularly, the computer control unit  220 - 1  confirms whether the OSD graphic screen is output. If the OSD graphic screen is output, and the cursor of the mouse moves on the OSD graphic screen, the computer control unit  220 - 1  controls the computer  220  so that the event information (a movement of the cursor and a button state) of the mouse is sent to the display control unit  210 - 3  through the interface unit  210 - 6 .  
     [0037] Next, referring to a schematic flowchart of FIG. 3, an OSD control method performed in the display device  210  will now be explained referring to the diagram of the structure of the display control apparatus of FIG. 2.  
     [0038] First, it is determined whether the OSD control information is received by the display control unit  210 - 3  through the interface unit  210 - 6  in operation  310 . That is, it is determined whether the OSD control information generated in the computer control unit  220 - 1  by a key manipulation and a mouse movement of the input unit  220 - 2  of the computer  220  is input through the interface unit  210 - 6 .  
     [0039] Then, the received OSD control information is analyzed in the display control unit  210 - 3 , and the OSD control command corresponding to the analyzed result is generated in operation  320 .  
     [0040] According to the OSD control command, the OSD module  210 - 4  is controlled so that the OSD menu screen changes, or, if the OSD control command is for changing the setting values of the display setting specifications, the setting values of the display setting specifications stored in the memory  210 - 5  corresponding to the OSD control command are updated in operation  470 .  
     [0041] Next, referring to a detailed flowchart of FIG. 4, the OSD control method performed in the display device  210  will now be explained referring to the diagram of the structure of FIG. 2.  
     [0042] First, it is determined whether OSD ON control information is received by the display control unit  210 - 3  through the interface unit  210 - 6  in operation  410 . That is, it is determined whether the OSD ON control information which is generated in the computer control unit  220 - 1  by key manipulation of the input unit  220 - 2  of the computer  220  is input through the interface unit  210 - 6 .  
     [0043] If the OSD ON control information is input to the display control unit  210 - 3  through the interface unit  210 - 6 , the display control unit  210 - 3  generates an OSD ON control command (OSD control command) so that the OSD menu screen is displayed in operation  420 .  
     [0044] Then, according to the OSD ON control command, the OSD module  210 - 4  performs graphic processing to generate the OSD menu screen, and outputs a result of the graphic processing to the OSD mixing unit  210 - 2 . Then, in the OSD mixing unit  210 - 2 , the OSD menu screen output from the OSD module  210 - 4  overlaps the signal (R, G, B data) output from the signal processing unit  210 - 1 , and outputs the result of the overlapping to the display unit in step  430 .  
     [0045] Thus, if the OSD menu screen is output, the display control unit  210 - 3  sends the OSD state information indicating that the OSD menu screen is output, to the computer control unit  220 - 1  through the interface unit  210 - 6 , and then, the computer control unit  220 - 1  monitors the event information on an event (the coordinates of the cursor, and the state of the button) of the mouse in operation  440 .  
     [0046] If the result of monitoring indicates that one function in the OSD menu screen is selected by a button input, selected event information of the mouse is sent to the display control unit  210 - 3  through the interface unit  210 - 6  in operation  450 .  
     [0047] Then, the display control unit  210 - 3  analyzes the received event information of the mouse, and generates the OSD control command corresponding to the result of the analysis in operation  460 .  
     [0048] Then, according to the OSD control command, the OSD module  210 - 4  is controlled so that the OSD menu screen changes, or, if the control command is for changing the display setting values, the setting values of the display specifications stored in the memory  210 - 5  are updated in operation  330 .  
     [0049] Thus, by an OSD control operation, the OSD module  140  in the display device can be indirectly controlled by using information input from the input unit of the computer through the USB interface.  
     [0050] For convenience of explanation and as an example of the present invention, the apparatus for and method of controlling the OSD module  140  of the display device  210  using the external computer  220  are described. However, it is clear to a skilled person in the art that the present invention can be applied to an apparatus for and a method of controlling a circuit which processes functions other than the OSD module of the display device  210 .  
     [0051] As described above, according to the present invention, a variety of functions including OSD hardware and software in a display device, are designed to be controlled by an input unit of a computer connected to the display device through a USB port such that separate buttons on the display device are not needed, and a structure of the display device is simplified. Also, since an OSD module of the display device is used without change and without complicated OSD application programs, and the display device can be controlled by an external apparatus connected to the display device, a development period of the display device can be shortened. Particularly, when distortion occurs due to twisted (distorted or deviated) setting states of a screen of the display device, the OSD application programs can be normally executed.  
     [0052] The present invention may be embodied in a code, which can be read by a computer, on a computer readable recording medium. The computer readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses on which computer readable data are stored.  
     [0053] The computer readable recording media includes storage media such as magnetic storage media e.g., ROM&#39;s, floppy disks, hard disks, etc., optically readable media, e.g., CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc., or carrier waves, e.g., transmissions over the Internet. Also, the computer readable recording media can be distributed to computer systems connected through a network and can store and execute a computer readable code in a distributed mode. It is noted that the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment described above, and it is apparent that variations and modifications by those skilled in the art can be effected within the spirit and scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.