Display devices and their screen playback methods

Abstract

A display device includes: an image buffer; a display module; and a display controller for receiving an image signal from a host computer and storing the image signal in the image buffer. In response to receiving a trigger signal, the display controller controls the display device to enter a screen rewind mode. Based on a user instruction, the display controller retrieves a rewind image corresponding to a rewind time point from the image buffer and plays the rewind image on the display module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to display devices, and more particularly to a display device and a method for screen rewinding. Background Technology

[0002] Due to technological advancements, computer users are spending increasingly more time on their monitors each day. However, users often forget previously performed actions and cannot revert to the intended previous step, or they may want to view previously viewed screen content. Traditional display devices lack screen rewind functionality, which can sometimes cause inconvenience. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides a display device and a method for screen rewinding therein to solve the above problems.

[0004] This invention provides a display device, comprising: an image buffer; a display module; and a display controller for receiving an image signal from a host and storing the image signal in the image buffer. In response to receiving a trigger signal, the display controller controls the display device to enter a screen rewind mode. Based on a user instruction, the display controller retrieves a rewind image corresponding to a rewind time point from the image buffer and plays the rewind image on the display module.

[0005] In some embodiments, the display controller first compresses the image signal to obtain a compressed image signal and stores the compressed image signal in the image buffer. When the display device is in the screen rewind mode, the display controller obtains the compressed image signal corresponding to the rewind time point from the image buffer and decompresses the compressed image signal to obtain the rewind image.

[0006] In some embodiments, the image buffer stores the compressed image signal within a predetermined time interval, and the display controller uses a first-in-first-out mechanism to store the compressed image signal in the image buffer.

[0007] In some embodiments, the display device further includes: an input interface, wherein the input interface includes a first function key, a second function key and a third function key, wherein the second function key is used to generate the trigger signal to turn the screen rollback mode of the display device on or off, and the first function key and the third function key are used to generate the user command and control the screen rollback function and the screen backward function in the screen rollback mode, respectively.

[0008] In some embodiments, when the display device is in the screen rewind mode and a user presses and releases the first function button or the third function button, the display controller moves forward or backward a predetermined number of seconds from the current search time point to obtain the rewind time point, and obtains the rewind image corresponding to the rewind time point from the image buffer.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the display device is in the screen rewind mode and a user continuously presses and holds the first function button or the third function button, the display controller quickly searches for the rewind image from the current search time point forward or backward.

[0010] In some embodiments, when the display device is in the screen rewind mode and the display controller receives the trigger signal from the second function key, the display controller controls the display device to return to the normal screen mode.

[0011] In some embodiments, in response to the display device entering the screen rewind mode, the display controller stops writing the image signal to the image buffer.

[0012] The present invention further provides a screen rewind method for a display device, wherein the display device includes an image buffer, a display module, and a display controller. The method includes: receiving an image signal from a host computer using the display controller and storing the image signal in the image buffer; controlling the display device to enter a screen rewind mode using the display controller in response to receiving a trigger signal; and retrieving a rewind image corresponding to a rewind time point from the image buffer using the display controller according to a user instruction, and playing the rewind image on the display module. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a computer system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2A-2C This is a schematic diagram of a retrospective image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a screen rewinding method for a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0017] 10: Host

[0018] 11: Image signal

[0019] 20: User

[0020] 100: Display device

[0021] 110: Display Controller

[0022] 111: Image Scaler

[0023] 112: Timing Controller

[0024] 120: Display module

[0025] 130: Storage device

[0026] 131: Firmware

[0027] 132: Interface displayed on the screen

[0028] 140: Image buffer

[0029] 141: First storage space

[0030] 142: Second storage space

[0031] 150: Transmission Interface

[0032] 160: Input Interface

[0033] 161: Physical button

[0034] 162: Five-way control lever

[0035] 1631-1633: Function Keys

[0036] 170: Multiplexer

[0037] 171-172: Path

[0038] 202, 204, 206: Retrospective Images

[0039] 211: Time Series

[0040] S310~S320: Steps Detailed Implementation

[0041] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, a preferred embodiment is described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] like Figure 1As shown, the host 10 is connected to the display device 100. For example, the host 10 may be a personal computer, server, TV stick / box, set-top box, game console, DVD / Blu-ray player, or other device with image output capabilities. The display device 100 may be a flat panel display, television, projector, computer screen, etc., but the invention is not limited thereto. The display device 100 includes a display controller 110, a display module 120, a storage device 130, an image buffer 140, a transmission interface 150, an input interface 160, and a multiplexing circuit 170.

[0044] The display controller 110 may be, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit, a system-on-chip, a processor, or a microcontroller, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0045] The display module 120 may be, for example, a liquid crystal panel (including a backlight module), a light-emitting diode panel, an organic light-emitting diode panel, a cathode ray tube, an electronic ink (E-Ink) display module, an electroluminescent display module, a plasma display module, a projection display module, a quantum dot display module, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0046] Storage device 130 may be a non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). Storage device 130 is used to store firmware 131 related to display device 100. Storage device 130 may be external to display controller 110 or integrated into display controller 110.

[0047] Firmware 131 includes, for example, display settings and extended display identification data (EDID) for the on-screen display interface of the display device 100, display settings, and one or more on-screen-display (OSD) interfaces 132. Extended display identification data includes, for example, the manufacturer, product name, resolution, and frames per second of the display device 100. Display settings include, for example, settings for brightness, contrast, sharpness, and color temperature of the display device 100.

[0048] The transmission interface 150 may include a wired transmission interface and / or a wireless transmission interface. The wired transmission interface may include: High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), DisplayPort (DP) interface, embedded DisplayPort (eDP) interface, Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, USB Type-C interface, Thunderbolt interface, Digital Video Interface (DVI), Video Graphics Array (VGA) interface, General Purpose Input / Output (GPIO) interface, Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART) interface, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) interface, Integrated Circuit Bus (I2C) interface, or combinations thereof. The wireless transmission interface may include: Bluetooth, WiFi, Near Field Communication (NFC) interface, etc., but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0049] In one embodiment, the display controller 110 can read the firmware 131 stored in the storage device 130 and the program code of the on-screen display interface 132 via a bus (e.g., an I2C bus) and set the relevant display parameters accordingly. Furthermore, the display controller 110 can also transmit extended display capability identification data of the display device 100 to the host 10 via the transmission interface 150, so that the host 10 can set the resolution of the output image signal and related synchronization signals. The on-screen display interface 132 may include, for example, an on-screen display menu (OSD menu) and options, an information dashboard, a timer, a counter, a crosshair, specific symbols, specific colors, specific text, or combinations thereof, but the invention is not limited thereto.

[0050] In one embodiment, the display controller 110 includes an image scaler 111 and a timing controller 112. The display controller 110 receives image signals from the host 10 and / or other hosts via a transmission interface 150. The image scaler 111 performs image scaling and / or image overlay processing on the received image signals 11 to match the resolution of the display module 120, and stores the scaled image (e.g., the output image) in an image buffer 140. The timing controller 112 controls the display module 120 to read the output image from the image buffer 140 and play it.

[0051] In another embodiment, the display controller 110 may include a timing controller 112, and the resolution of the image signal 11 from the host 10 matches the resolution of the display module 120. Therefore, after receiving the image signal from the host 10, the display controller 110 can store the image signal in the image buffer 140 without performing image scaling processing. The timing controller 120 can read the output image from the image buffer 140 and control the display module 120 to play the output image.

[0052] The image buffer 140 may be a volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory) or a non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory) for storing the image signal 11 from the host 10 or the image signal 11 compressed by the display controller 110, and may store the image signal for a predetermined time period (e.g., 10 minutes or longer) for use by the screen playback function of the display device 100.

[0053] For example, the image buffer 140 includes a first storage space 141 and a second storage space 142. When the display device 100 receives the image signal 11 from the host 10 through the transmission interface 150, the multiplexer 170 transmits the image signal 11 to the display controller 110 through path 171 and / or writes the image signal 11 to the first storage space 141 of the image buffer 140 through path 172. The first storage space 140 serves, for example, as an output image buffer in normal screen mode, and the second storage space 142 serves, for example, as an output image buffer in screen rewind mode.

[0054] The input interface 160 is used to control the on-screen display menu and the on / off state of the screen rollback function of the display device 100. In some embodiments, the input interface 160 may be implemented by a five-way joystick 162 or by five physical buttons 161, thereby implementing commands such as up, down, left, right, and confirm. In addition, the input interface 160 also includes one or more function buttons 1631-1633, wherein function button 1632 is used to turn the screen rollback function of the display device 100 on or off, and function buttons 1631 and 1632 perform functions such as screen rewind and screen forward.

[0055] In one embodiment, when a user operates the five-way joystick 162 in one direction (or presses one of the physical buttons 161), the display controller 110 can read the firmware 132 and the program code of the on-screen display menu and related options in the on-screen display interface 132 from the storage device 130, and display the on-screen display menu and related options on the display module 120. In one embodiment, the user can operate the input interface 160 to control the on-screen display menu of the display device 100, thereby adjusting the brightness, contrast, sharpness, color temperature of the display module 120, or turning other interfaces in the on-screen display interface 132 on or off. For example, the firmware 131 can be regarded as the preset firmware of the display device 100, and the user can control the option settings of the on-screen display interface 132 displayed by the display device 100 via the five-way joystick 162 (or physical button 161).

[0056] In another embodiment, the display device 100 of the present invention is not limited to using function keys 1631-1633 to perform the screen rollback function. The user can also operate the input interface 160 to open the on-screen display interface 132 related to the screen rollback function, and can operate the physical button 161 or the five-way joystick 162 in the input interface 160 to control the on / off of the screen rollback function, as well as screen scrolling and screen rewinding functions.

[0057] In some embodiments, the display controller 100 uses a first-in-first-out (FIFO) mechanism to store the image signal 11 (or compressed image signal) into the second storage space 142 of the image buffer 140. For example, the host 10 or the display device 100 may preset the capacity of the second storage space 142 of the image buffer 140, which corresponds to the number of output images that can be stored, i.e., the above number can be converted into the time length of the image signal for the screen rewind function.

[0058] In more detail, in some embodiments, the display controller 100 may, for example, directly store the output image (e.g., an RGB image) used for the screen rewind function in the second storage space 142. When the screen rewind function of the display device 100 is enabled, the display controller 100 may use the control signal of the screen rewind function to directly retrieve the rewind image of the desired rewind time point from the second storage space 142 and play the rewind image on the display module 120.

[0059] In other embodiments, the display controller 100 first compresses the image signal 11 used for the screen rewind function to obtain a compressed image, and stores the compressed image in the second storage space 142. When the screen rewind function of the display device 100 is enabled, the display controller 100 can use the control signal of the screen rewind function to directly retrieve the compressed image corresponding to the rewind time point to be played from the second storage space 142, and decompress the compressed image to obtain the rewind image to be played on the display module 120, and play the rewind image on the display module 120.

[0060] It should be noted that regardless of whether the display controller 110 compresses the image signal to be stored in the second storage space 142, the display controller 110 uses a first-in, first-out (FIFO) mechanism to store the image signal or compressed image signal in the second storage space 142. In other words, when the total capacity of the stored image signal or compressed image signal exceeds the capacity of the second storage space 142, the display controller 110 will delete the earliest predetermined number of image signals or compressed image signals in the second storage space 142 and write the latest image signal or compressed image signal into the second storage space 142.

[0061] When a user activates the screen rewind function of the display device 100 at time T1 using function key 1632 or on-screen display interface 132, it indicates that the display controller 110 will start playing the rewind video signal on the display module 120 at time T1, so the user does not need to view the video image from the host 10 temporarily. At this time, the switching circuit (not shown) in the multiplexer 170 receives the screen rewind function trigger signal from the input interface 160 to disconnect path 172, meaning that the display controller 110 will no longer write the video signal 11 from the host 10 to the second storage space 142 at time T1. If the user activates the screen rewind function of the display device 100 at time T1, the user can only search for rewind images within a predetermined time interval before time T1 using function key 1631. When the display device 100 is in screen rewind mode and the user searches for rewind images backward using function key 1633, the display controller 110 can only search backward up to the rewind image at time T1.

[0062] In some embodiments, if the display device 100 is in screen backtracking mode, whenever the user presses and releases the function button 1631 once, the display controller 110 will retrieve the backtracking image corresponding to the current search time point by moving back a predetermined number of seconds (e.g., 5 or 10 seconds) from the current search time point, and set the current search time point as the time point corresponding to the backtracking image. If the user holds down the function button 1631 for more than a predetermined number of seconds (e.g., 2 seconds), the display controller 110 will continuously and rapidly search for backtracking images from the current search time point. When the user releases the function button 1631, the display controller 110 stops searching for backtracking images.

[0063] Similarly, whenever the user presses and releases function button 1633, the display controller 110 will retrieve the corresponding backtracking image from the current search time point by moving forward a predetermined number of seconds (e.g., 5 or 10 seconds), and set the current search time point as the time point corresponding to the backtracking image. If the user holds down function button 1633 for more than a predetermined number of seconds (e.g., 2 seconds), the display controller 110 will continuously and rapidly search for backtracking images from the current search time point. When the user releases function button 1633, the display controller 110 will stop searching for backtracking images.

[0064] Figure 2A-2C This is a schematic diagram of a playback screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please also refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 2A-2C .

[0065] Assuming the user activates the screen rewind function of the display device 100 at 09:35 (i.e., time point T1) via function button 1632, the display controller 110 will first retrieve the rewind image 202 at 09:35 from the second storage space 142 and play the rewind image 202 on the display module 120. The rewind image 202 includes a time series 211 to display the corresponding time point, and at this time the user 20 is facing forward. Figure 2A As shown.

[0066] Assuming that the second storage space 142 of the display device 110 can store a maximum of 10 minutes of video signal, when the user continuously rewinds the video using the function button 1631, the display controller 110 can retrieve up to ten minutes of rewind video 204 before 09:35. The rewind video 204 also includes a time column 211 to display the corresponding time point, and at this time the user 20 is facing left. Figure 2B As shown.

[0067] Next, when the user searches the screen backward using function button 1633, the display controller 110 can search backward up to the retrospective image at 09:35. If the user views the retrospective image 206 at 09:31 using function button 1633, the retrospective image 206 also includes a time column 211 to display the time point corresponding to the retrospective image 206, and at this time the user 20 is facing backward, such as... Figure 2C As shown.

[0068] It should be noted that there are still time limitations when users use function keys 1631 or 1633 to search forward or backward. Specifically, forward searching can only search for backtracking images within a predetermined time interval (e.g., 10 minutes) before time point T1. Backward searching can only search for backtracking images from the earliest time point before the predetermined time interval of time point T1 (i.e., 10 minutes before time point T1) to time point T1.

[0069] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a screen rewinding method for a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please also refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 3 .

[0070] In step S310, the display controller 110 receives the image signal 11 from the host 10 and stores the image signal 11 in the image buffer 140. For example, in some embodiments, the display controller 100 may directly store the output image (e.g., an RGB image) used for the screen rewind function in the second storage space 142. When the screen rewind function of the display device 100 is enabled, the display controller 100 can use the control signal of the screen rewind function to directly retrieve the rewind image signal of the desired rewind time point from the second storage space 142 and play the rewind image signal on the display module 120.

[0071] In other embodiments, the display controller 100 first compresses the image signal 11 used for the screen rewind function to obtain a compressed image, and stores the compressed image in the second storage space 142. When the screen rewind function of the display device 100 is enabled, the display controller 100 can use the control signal of the screen rewind function to directly retrieve the compressed image corresponding to the rewind time point to be played from the second storage space 142, and decompress the compressed image to obtain the rewind image to be played on the display module 120, and play the rewind image on the display module 120.

[0072] In step S312, it is determined whether a trigger signal has been received. If a trigger signal is received, step S314 is executed. If no trigger signal is received, the process returns to step S312. For example, the function button 1632 on the input interface 160 is used to turn the screen rewind function of the display device 100 on or off. That is, when the user presses and releases the function button 1632, the function button 1632 can generate a trigger signal to be transmitted to the multiplexer 170 and the display controller 110.

[0073] In step S314, the display device 100 enters the screen rewind mode. For example, in response to receiving the trigger signal (e.g., at time T1), the display controller 110 controls the display device 100 to enter the screen rewind mode, and the switching circuit 172 of the multiplexer 170 will disconnect the path, meaning that the display controller 110 will no longer write the image signal 11 from the host 10 to the second storage space 142 at time T1. If the user activates the screen rewind function of the display device 100 at time T1, the user can only search for rewind images within a predetermined time interval before time T1 using the function key 1631. When the display device 100 is in screen rewind mode and the user searches for rewind images backward using the function key 1633, the display controller 110 can only search backward up to the rewind image at time T1.

[0074] In step S316, the display controller 111 retrieves the image signal for the corresponding time from the image buffer according to the user's instruction. For example, when the display device 100 is in the screen rewind mode, the user can, for example, operate the on-screen display interface 132 related to the screen rewind function via function keys 1631 or 1633, or via the input interface 160, and can operate the physical button 161 or the five-way joystick 162 in the input interface 160 to control the on / off of the screen rewind function, as well as screen rollback and screen backward functions. In some embodiments, when the screen rewind function of the display device 100 is activated, the display controller 100 can use the control signal of the screen rewind function to directly retrieve the rewind image of the desired rewind time point from the second storage space 142 and play the rewind image on the display module 120. In other embodiments, when the screen rewind function of the display device 100 is enabled, the display controller 100 can use the control signal of the screen rewind function to directly retrieve the compressed image corresponding to the rewind time point to be played from the second storage space 142, and decompress the compressed image to obtain the rewind image to be played on the display module 120, and play the rewind image on the display module 120.

[0075] In step S318, it is determined whether a trigger signal has been received. If a trigger signal is received, step S320 is executed. If no trigger signal is received, the process returns to step S316. For example, the trigger signal is used to switch between the normal screen mode and the screen rollback mode of the display device 100. When the display device 100 is already in the screen rollback mode, if the display controller 110 determines that the trigger signal has been received again, the display controller 110 controls the display device 100 to enter the normal screen mode.

[0076] In step S320, the display device 100 enters a normal screen mode. For example, the first storage space 140 serves as an output image buffer in the normal screen mode. That is, in the normal screen mode, the display controller 110 retrieves the output image from the first storage space 141 and plays the output image on the display module 120.

[0077] In summary, the present invention provides a display device and a screen rewind method thereof, and users can use the screen rewind function built into the display device to browse the screen images within a predetermined time interval, thereby helping users recall the operations previously performed on the host or browse the images previously viewed by the user, thereby enhancing the user experience.

[0078] The use of terms such as "first," "second," and "third" in the claims is to modify the elements in the claims, and is not to indicate a priority order, a precedence relationship, or that one element precedes another, or the chronological order of the execution of method steps. It is only used to distinguish elements with the same name.

[0079] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some changes and modifications without departing from the concept and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising: An image buffer; One display module; as well as A display controller is used to receive an image signal from a host computer and store the image signal in the image buffer; In response to receiving a trigger signal, the display controller controls the display device to enter a screen rewind mode. The display controller retrieves the playback image corresponding to the playback time point from the image buffer according to a user command, and plays the playback image on the display module. In response to the display device entering the screen rewind mode, the display controller stops writing the image signal to the image buffer.

2. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display controller first compresses the image signal to obtain a compressed image signal, and stores the compressed image signal in the image buffer. When the display device is in the screen rewind mode, the display controller obtains the compressed image signal corresponding to the rewind time point from the image buffer, and decompresses the compressed image signal to obtain the rewind image.

3. The display device of claim 2, wherein the image buffer stores the compressed image signal within a predetermined time interval, and the display controller uses a first-in-first-out mechanism to store the compressed image signal in the image buffer.

4. The display device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: An input interface is provided, which includes a first function button, a second function button and a third function button. The second function button is used to generate a trigger signal to turn the screen rollback mode of the display device on or off. The first function button and the third function button are used to generate user commands and control the screen rollback function and the screen backward function in the screen rollback mode, respectively.

5. The display device as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the display device is in the screen rewind mode and a user presses and releases the first function button or the third function button, the display controller moves forward or backward by a predetermined number of seconds from the current search time point to obtain the rewind time point, and obtains the rewind image corresponding to the rewind time point from the image buffer.

6. The display device as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the display device is in the screen rewind mode and a user continuously presses and holds the first function button or the third function button, the display controller rapidly searches for the rewind image from the current search time point forward or backward.

7. The display device as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the display device is in the screen rewind mode and the display controller receives the trigger signal from the second function key, the display controller controls the display device to return to the normal screen mode.

8. A screen rewinding method for a display device, wherein the display device includes an image buffer, a display module, and a display controller, the method comprising: The display controller receives an image signal from a host computer and stores the image signal in the image buffer. In response to the display controller receiving a trigger signal, the display controller is used to control the display device to enter a screen rollback mode; The display controller retrieves the retrospective image corresponding to the retrospective time point from the image buffer according to a user instruction, and plays the retrospective image on the display module. as well as In response to the display device entering the screen rollback mode, the display controller stops writing the image signal to the image buffer.

9. The screen rewind method of the display device as described in claim 8, further comprising: The display controller is used to compress the image signal to obtain a compressed image signal, and the compressed image signal is stored in the image buffer. When the display device is in the screen rewind mode, the display controller obtains the compressed image signal corresponding to the rewind time point from the image buffer, and decompresses the compressed image signal to obtain the rewind image.

10. The screen rewind method of the display device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the image buffer stores the compressed image signal within a predetermined time interval, and the method further comprises: The display controller uses a first-in-first-out mechanism to store the compressed image signal into the image buffer.

11. The screen rewind method of the display device as described in claim 8, wherein the display device further comprises: An input interface is provided, which includes a first function button, a second function button and a third function button. The second function button is used to generate a trigger signal to turn the screen rollback mode of the display device on or off. The first function button and the third function button are used to generate user commands and control the screen rollback function and the screen backward function in the screen rollback mode, respectively.

12. The screen rewind method of the display device as described in claim 11, further comprising: When the display device is in the screen rewind mode and a user presses or releases the first function button or the third function button, the display controller moves forward or backward a predetermined number of seconds from the current search time to obtain the rewind time point, and the corresponding rewind image is obtained from the image buffer.

13. The screen rewind method of the display device as described in claim 11, further comprising: When the display device is in the screen rewind mode and a user presses and holds down the first function button or the third function button, the display controller can quickly search for the rewind image from the current search time point forward or backward.

14. The screen rewind method of the display device as described in claim 11, further comprising: When the display device is in the screen rewind mode and the display controller receives the trigger signal from the second function button, the display controller can be used to control the display device to return to the normal screen mode.

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