Fast and lightweight writing or reading of 2D shaped pixels in active matrix digital displays

Abstract

The present invention relates to an active matrix digital display comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising a static memory for storing one or more values ​​of pixel intensity, and an interface, wherein the interface is configured to, upon reception of at least one command, obtain an identifier of the command type, and if the command type belongs to at least one type related to 2D shapes, read at least one parameter related to at least a pixel position in a display screen at a predefined position of the payload of the command, and write or read intensity values ​​of said subset of pixels from the payload of the command to or from the static memory of the subset of pixels of the screen based at least on said at least one parameter.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of active matrix digital displays, and more particularly to the field of writing or reading pixels in active matrix digital displays. [Background technology]

[0002] An active matrix digital display is a display in which each pixel is associated with an address and includes memory for storing one or more pixel intensities, and each pixel can be read or written independently. An active matrix display can be, for example, an LCD, AMOLED, or AMLED display or microdisplay.

[0003] The pixel's memory may store a single value of intensity if the pixel is a grayscale pixel, or may store multiple intensity values ​​for multiple color layers if the pixel is a color pixel, e.g., an RGB pixel. Each pixel may further comprise a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) that converts the intensity values ​​stored in the pixel's memory into voltages or currents for the pixel's one or more electroluminescent elements.

[0004] The pixel's memory may be static memory, such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), or volatile memory. Volatile memory needs to be refreshed, while values ​​stored in static memory remain stored indefinitely until they are erased and replaced by new values. Pixels with static memory are described, for example, in Hao, D., Aiying, G., and Feng, R. (November 2020), "A New Low-power Pixel Circuit for OLEDoS Microdisplay," 2020 17th China International Forum on Solid State Lighting, and 2020 International Forum on Wide Bandgap Semiconductors China (SSLChina:IFWS) (pp. 211-214), IEEE, and Vogel, U., Beyer, B., Schober, M., Wartenberg, P., Brenner, S., Bunk, G., ..., and Richter, B. (May 2017), "77-1: Invited Paper: Ultra-low Power OLED Microdisplay for Extended Battery Life in NTE Displays," SID Symposium Digest of Technical Papers (Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 1125-1128).

[0005] Active matrix digital displays are typically provided with an interface responsible for receiving commands and, in response, writing pixel intensities to memory or, conversely, reading pixel intensities from memory. The interface may be a serial interface or a parallel interface. Examples of serial interfaces include, for example, an I2C interface, an SPI interface, or a CAN interface, although virtually any type of serial interface may be used in an active matrix digital display.

[0006] When an active matrix display needs to be written or read, a command is typically sent containing a bitmap image of every pixel in the display to be read or written. Thus, every value of the intensity of every pixel in the image is transferred over the interface. This introduces a significant delay in writing or reading the values ​​and consumes a significant amount of energy.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need to reduce the amount of data that must be transferred to write to or read from an active matrix display screen. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0008] [Non-Patent Document 1] Hao, D., Aiying, G., and Feng, R. (November 2020), "A New Low-power Pixel Circuit for OLEDoS Microdisplay", 2020 17th China International Forum on Solid State Lighting [Non-patent document 2] Hao, D., Aiying, G., and Feng, R. (November 2020), "A New Low-power Pixel Circuit for OLEDoS Microdisplay", 2020 International Forum on Wide Bandgap Semiconductors China (SSLChina:IFWS) (pp. 211-214), IEEE [Non-patent document 3] Vogel, U., Beyer, B., Schober, M., Wartenberg, P., Brenner, S., Bunk, G., … and Richter, B. (May 2017), “77-1: Invited Paper: Ultra-low Power OLED Microdisplay for Extended Battery Life in NTE Displays,” SID Symposium Digest of Technical Papers (Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 1125-1128) Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] This disclosure improves the situation.

[0010] An active matrix digital display is proposed, comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising a static memory for storing one or more values ​​of pixel intensity, and an interface, wherein the interface is configured to, upon reception of at least one command, obtain an identifier of the command type, and if the command type belongs to at least one type related to 2D shapes, read at least one parameter related to at least a pixel position in a display screen at a predefined position of the command payload, and based at least on said at least one parameter, write or read intensity values ​​of said subset of pixels from the command payload to or from the static memory of the subset of pixels of the screen.

[0011] By "static memory" we mean memory in which values ​​are permanently stored until further modification. Static memory may be, for example, SRAM ("static random access memory"). In a static memory digital display, the static memory stores the intensities of the pixels, and the display screen displays the current value of the intensity of each pixel as stored in the static memory at any given time.

[0012] By "interface" we mean an interface that is capable of receiving commands, analyzing the commands, and writing to or reading from static memory accordingly. The interface may comprise wires and electronic circuits. The interface may be, for example, a serial input interface or a parallel input interface. The serial interface may be, for example, an SPI interface. The interface may be an input interface or an input and output interface.

[0013] By "command type identifier" we mean the part of a command, for example a bit pattern, that indicates to which type the command belongs.

[0014] By "2D shape" we mean a shape defined as a series of pixels in two dimensions. A 2D shape may be a general shape related to at least one parameter of a dimension (rectangle, triangle, square...) or a specific shape defined by a precise series of pixels, such as for example a mouse arrow.

[0015] By "at least one parameter relating to at least a pixel location within a display screen" we mean at least one parameter that allows for retrieving a pixel location within the screen such that the location of a 2D shape within the display screen can be identified.

[0016] By "one or more values ​​of intensity" we mean at least one intensity that defines the layout of the pixel.

[0017] The layout of a pixel can be defined by a single value of intensity, for example, if the pixel is a grayscale pixel, or by multiple values ​​of intensity, for example, if the pixel is defined by multiple color channels. For example, an RGB pixel comprises three sub-pixels, each of which is associated with one value of intensity. Other color representations can also be used, such as, for example, an RG (two color channels for red and green for two sub-pixels of each pixel) representation or an RGBW (four color channels for red, green, blue, and white for two sub-pixels of each pixel) representation.

[0018] For example, the pixel location may be the location of a particular pixel of a shape, such as the top left corner of a rectangle, or the tip of an arrow, etc. The invention is however not limited to this example and any pixel location that allows for accurate location of a 2D shape within the screen may be used.

[0019] The pixel location may be expressed using, for example, a row number and a column number.

[0020] The at least one parameter may in some cases include other parameters in addition to pixel location. Such other parameters may include, for example: If this is not defined by a general type, it indicates a 2D shape (for example, a 2D shape, square, rectangle, or triangle), 2D shape size, Orientation of 2D shapes, etc., for example.

[0021] This allows only a portion of the pixels of the screen to be read or written. Since the screen has static memory, when written, the pixels can maintain their intensity unless they are rewritten. This therefore allows for faster pixel reading / writing and saves energy compared to writing / reading the complete pixels of the screen.

[0022] In another aspect, a display device is proposed, comprising an active matrix digital display according to an embodiment of the invention and a processing unit configured to send at least one command to an interface of said digital display.

[0023] By "processing unit" we mean an electronic component capable of performing electronic or computer calculations for a function. A processing unit may refer to any type of processor or electronic component capable of performing digital calculations. For example, a processing unit may be an integrated circuit, an ASIC (literally "application-specific integrated circuit" in French, from the English abbreviation "application-specific integrated circuit"), a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processor, or a graphical processing unit (GPU). A processing unit according to the present invention is not limited to a particular type of computing architecture. For example, a processor may implement a Harvard-type or a Von Neumann-type architecture.

[0024] In another aspect, a method is proposed which is executed by a digital display comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising a static memory for storing one or more values ​​of pixel intensity, and an interface, said method comprising the steps of receiving, by the interface, at least one command, and if the type of the command belongs to at least one type relating to 2D shapes, reading, at a predefined position in the payload of the command, at least one parameter relating to at least a pixel position in the display screen, and writing intensity values ​​of said subset of pixels from the payload of the command to or reading from the static memory of the subset of pixels of the screen based at least on said at least one parameter.

[0025] In another aspect, software or system firmware is proposed that includes instructions for implementing at least a portion of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention when the software or system firmware is executed by a processor.

[0026] By "system firmware" we mean software that is embedded directly into a device and that is responsible for the functioning of the device.

[0027] In another aspect, a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium is proposed on which software or system firmware is registered so as to implement a method according to an embodiment of the present invention when the software or system firmware is executed by a processor.

[0028] The following features may optionally be implemented separately or in combination with other features.

[0029] In some embodiments of the invention, the payload of the command further comprises at least one parameter defining a layout of a 2D shape, and said interface is configured to write or read said value of intensity according to said at least one parameter defining a layout of the 2D shape.

[0030] By "at least one parameter defining the layout of a 2D shape" we mean at least one parameter shape or intensity of pixels of a 2D shape. At least one parameter defining the layout of a 2D shape is The pixel intensity or color of every pixel of the shape, At least one parameter that defines an effect to be applied to the 2D shape, such as a color gradient, etc. may include at least one of:

[0031] This allows 2D shapes to be read or written using only parameters, thus resulting in even more efficient storage of 2D shapes that may be defined by parameters.

[0032] In some embodiments of the invention, the payload of a command includes intensity values ​​of the subset of pixels, and the interface is configured to write or read the intensity values ​​according to a pixel path associated with the 2D shape.

[0033] By "pixel path" we mean a series of absolute or relative positions of pixels through a 2D shape. For example: If the 2D shape is a rectangle, the pixel path may consist in reading or writing the lines of the rectangle from top to bottom and left to right, If the 2D shape is a mouse arrow, the pixel path may consist in reading or writing the pixels of the arrow from top to bottom and left to right, with a different number of pixels in each line. And so on.

[0034] The pixel path may be associated with a command type or may be defined by one or more parameters of the command. For example, if the command aims to write a rectangle, at least one parameter may define whether the rectangle is written from top to bottom or from bottom to top.

[0035] This allows for reading or writing of 2D shapes on a pixel-by-pixel basis while reading or writing only the pixels of the 2D shape, thereby achieving faster reading or writing of 2D shapes defined by pixel values.

[0036] In some embodiments of the present invention, said type of command defines a 2D shape associated with a predefined pixel path.

[0037] By "predefined pixel path" we mean a path that is known in advance and that completely defines the shape. For example, if the 2D shape is a mouse arrow, the pixels of the arrow may be numbered, and the payload of a command may contain the pixels in order of increasing number, so that the pixels can be read or written at their associated relative positions based only on the command type and a single pixel location.

[0038] This allows for a reduction in command size for certain 2D shapes, since the command payload does not need to include parameters for the shape's dimensions to determine the pixel path. Reducing command size further reduces the energy consumption of digital displays.

[0039] In some embodiments of the present invention, the at least one parameter further comprises at least one parameter relating to at least one dimension of the 2D shape, the size of the command payload being dependent on the at least one dimension, and the pixel path being parameterized by the at least one dimension.

[0040] By "at least one dimension of a 2D shape" we mean at least one parameter that defines at least one dimension of the shape. Such at least one dimension may be, for example: The height and width of the rectangle, The radius of a circle, the length of a side of a square, square face, A second pixel location that allows for inference of shape dimensions etc.

[0041] This allows you to define shapes of different sizes, such as rectangles, squares, or triangles of different sizes, and store only the data for the 2D shapes of those sizes in the command. This therefore allows you to send and process only the data that is useful according to the size of the shape. The combination of pixel location and shape dimensions allows you to define shapes of various positions and sizes.

[0042] In some embodiments of the present invention, the 2D shape is a rectangle, and the at least one parameter comprises a row index of a first predefined corner of the rectangle, a column index of the first predefined corner of the rectangle, a row index of a second predefined corner of the rectangle, the second predefined corner opposite the first predefined corner, and a column index of the second predefined corner of the rectangle.

[0043] By "opposite" we mean a second corner of a rectangle that is directly opposite the first corner of the rectangle. For example: The upper left and lower right corners are opposite corners, The upper right and lower left corners are opposite corners.

[0044] This provides an efficient way to define all the parameters needed to locate a rectangle, thus reducing the command size to read or write the rectangle, which further reduces the energy consumption of the digital display.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present invention, the 2D shape is a rectangle, and the at least one parameter includes a row index of a first predefined corner of the rectangle, a column index of the first predefined corner of the rectangle, a height of the rectangle, and a width of the rectangle.

[0046] This provides an efficient way to define all the parameters needed to locate a rectangle, thus reducing the command size to read or write the rectangle, which further reduces the energy consumption of the digital display.

[0047] In some embodiments of the invention, the 2D shape is a disk, and the at least one parameter includes a row index of a predefined point associated with the disk, a column index of a predefined point associated with the disk, and a parameter related to the size of the disk.

[0048] By "predefined point relative to the disk" is meant a point that can be precisely located relative to the disk. Such a predefined point may be, for example, the center of the disk, the top, bottom, left edge or end point of the disk, a corner of a square that surrounds a square, or more generally, any point that can be located relative to the disk and whose position therefore allows for the location of the disk.

[0049] By "circle size parameter" we define a parameter that defines the size of the disk. For example, such a parameter may be the radius, diameter, area or perimeter of the disk.

[0050] The predefined parameters for the position of the point and the size of the circle allow the position of the disk size to be completely defined.

[0051] This provides an efficient way to define all the parameters needed to locate the disk, thus reducing the command size to read or write the disk, which further reduces the energy consumption of the digital display.

[0052] In some embodiments of the invention, said 2D shape is a triangle and said at least one parameter comprises the positions of three corners of the triangle.

[0053] The "positions of the three corners of the triangle" define the row index and column index of each of the three corners of the triangle.

[0054] The positions of the three corners of a triangle allow the definition of any triangle and state which pixels are or are not included within the triangle.

[0055] This provides an efficient way to define all the parameters needed to locate a triangle, thus reducing the command size to read or write the triangle, which further reduces the energy consumption of the digital display.

[0056] In some embodiments of the invention, the at least one parameter includes a parameter defining a command pixel depth that is lower than a depth of pixels in static memory, and the interface is configured to perform a conversion between the command pixel depth and the depth of pixels in static memory.

[0057] By "conversion between command pixel depth and depth of pixel in static memory" we refer to the conversion between the two pixel representations. For example, if a pixel is written from the payload of a command, the interface converts the bit depth of the pixel in the payload of the command to the bit depth of the pixel in static memory. Conversely, if the command is a read command that requests a lower bit depth than the bit depth of the pixel representation in static memory, the interface performs a conversion of the bit depth of the pixel in static memory to the bit depth requested by the command.

[0058] This allows commands to be sent to write or read pixels at a bit depth lower than the bit depth of the pixel's representation in static RAM. Therefore, the size of the pixel representation of the 2D shape is reduced, provided that fewer bits are required to represent the pixel. Meanwhile, the conversion performed by the interface makes it possible to ensure that the pixel is accurately represented. Therefore, the size of the command, or the backward message when the pixel is read, can be reduced when only a lower bit depth is required. Reducing the command size further reduces the energy consumption of the digital display.

[0059] In some embodiments of the invention, the processing unit is configured to, upon displacement of an object from an initial position to a final position in the 2D scene, send a first command to the digital display interface to write pixels of a first 2D shape that encompasses the object at the initial position and represents a background of the 2D scene, and send a second command to the digital display interface to write pixels of a second 2D shape that encompasses and represents the object at the final position.

[0060] This allows for when an object moves from a first location to a second location in a 2D scene, the background in the first location is first redrawn, and then the object is drawn in the second location, so that when the representations of the object in the first and second locations overlap, the object does not appear twice.

[0061] Furthermore, this allows sending a minimal amount of data to represent the object's displacement, provided that no other part of the 2D scene is affected by the displacement.

[0062] Other features, details, and advantages are set forth in the following detailed description and drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0063] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system in which the present invention may be implemented, according to some embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an architecture for a display system according to some embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an example method according to some embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a command for writing a rectangle whose position and dimensions are defined by the positions of two opposite corners in some embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a command for writing a rectangle whose positions and dimensions are defined by the positions of the rectangle's corners and their dimensions in some embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0064] Next, refer to Figure 1.

[0065] FIG. 1 shows an example of a system Sys1 in which the present invention can be implemented.

[0066] The system Sys1 includes a user device Udev1 and a pair of glasses Glas1.

[0067] In the example of Figure 1, the user device represented is a smartphone, however the invention is not limited to this example and different user devices with connectivity capabilities may be used, such as smart watches, tablets, etc.

[0068] A user device Udev1 is connected to a pair of glasses Glas1 by a short-range wireless connection, such as for example a Bluetooth connection.

[0069] The pair of glasses Glas1 may be glasses configured to display information superimposed on the view from the glasses, for example, using an OLED display. For example, the applicant has developed Activelook® glasses that use a micro OLED display to present information superimposed on the scene the wearer sees through the glasses. The Activelook glasses include lightweight memory and computing resources for processing display commands sent by the user device Udev1, making them lightweight, comfortable, and ideal for sports or other outdoor use.

[0070] The user device Udev1 can therefore send commands to the glasses Glas1 to display information superimposed on the scene seen through the glasses. For example, if a user is running, the user device Udev1 may be equipped with sensors to measure information such as running speed, the user's heart rate, and running duration, and send commands representing this information to the glasses Glas1 so that the user can see their running speed, heart rate, etc. while running through the glasses. On the other hand, the glasses Glas1 only receive display commands and do not need to be equipped with a powerful processor to process complex information such as that provided by the sensors.

[0071] One of the objectives of the system Sys1 is to minimize the amount of data to be transferred from the device Udev1 to the pair of glasses Glas1 and processed by the pair of glasses Glas1. The present invention can be used to this effect to reduce the size of data frames sent by the user device Udev1 to the pair of glasses Glas1.

[0072] System Sys1, however, is provided only by way of a non-limiting example of a system in which the present invention may be implemented. The present invention may in fact be implemented by other systems that include active matrix displays. For example, other types of near-eye display devices other than glasses may be used.

[0073] Next, refer to Figure 2.

[0074] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the architecture of a display device according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0075] Display Device Dev a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising a static memory that stores one or more values ​​of the intensity of the pixel; and Interface an active matrix digital display (Disp); a processing unit configured to send at least one command to an interface of said digital display; Equipped with.

[0076] The processing unit is therefore configured to send commands to the interface Int to write to the pixel memory of the display Disp in order to cause a modification of the display, or conversely to read the current values ​​of the pixel memory in order to determine what is currently being displayed.

[0077] The interface may be a serial or parallel interface. For example, the interface may be a serial peripheral interface. The interface is capable of processing commands, writing and reading pixel intensities, receiving pixel intensities to write, and sending read pixel intensities.

[0078] The display device may be of various types, for example, the display device may be a pair of glasses, such as glasses Glas1, or another type of near-eye device.

[0079] The digital display Disp is configured to perform methods such as method P3 described below.

[0080] As explained in more detail below, this allows the processor Proc to define a subset of the display screen to write to or read from, and to send commands that include only information to read or write the intensity values ​​of pixels within that subset of the screen.

[0081] For example, when the content of a display is to be modified, the display Disp may receive a command to modify only the subset of the display that is to be modified.

[0082] According to various embodiments of the present invention, the processing unit may perform complex operations to determine the command to send, i.e., the type of command and the associated payload, or to directly receive the command to send.

[0083] For example, if the display device Dev is a pair of glasses Glas1, the processor Proc may receive commands to send directly from the user device Udev1 or may receive higher level commands and perform calculations to determine commands to send to the display Disp.

[0084] for example, The processor Proc may receive a command from the user device Udev1 to display text in a corner of the display Disp. The text to display may be, for example, the time in the format "HH:MM" (hours:minutes, e.g., "17:05" for 5:05 PM). The processor Proc may receive a new command every minute when the display needs to be modified. Since the pixels have a static memory, only pixels whose intensity has been changed can be modified in this way. The processor Proc can therefore be configured to send commands to the interface Int to modify only the subset of the display whose pixels are to be modified. To this effect, the processor Proc can have access to a memory Mem in which the current state of the display is stored in the form of a bitmap image, in order to permanently know the state of each pixel of the display.

[0085] In another example, the processor Proc receives the coordinates of an object, such as a mouse cursor, to be displaced from an initial position to a final position.

[0086] The processing unit therefore: sending a first command to the interface Int to write pixels of a first 2D shape containing the object in an initial position and representing the background of the 2D scene; sending a second command to the interface Int to write pixels of a second 2D shape containing and representing the object in its final position; The method may be configured to:

[0087] In other words, to displace an object in a 2D scene, the processing unit may send a first command to redraw the background of the 2D scene at an initial position, and then a second command to draw the object at a final position.

[0088] For each command, pixels are written only in the 2D shape that encompasses the object, thus a minimal amount of data is sent to the interface.

[0089] These examples show how the present invention can be used to dynamically modify a display while sending a minimal amount of data to the interface. These are provided, however, by way of non-limiting examples of the use of the present invention to modify the display of a display device Dev.

[0090] More generally, a processing unit sending commands to the interface Int can use the commands to read or write pixels only in 2D shapes where there is a pixel intensity to read or write.

[0091] Next, we will explain in more detail how commands are processed by the interface Int.

[0092] Next, refer to Figure 3.

[0093] FIG. 3 illustrates an example method according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0094] Method P3 is a method performed by a display, such as the display Disp shown in Figure 2, comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising a static memory that stores one or more values ​​of the pixel's intensity, and an interface.

[0095] The method P3 comprises a first step S31 of receiving, by means of an interface, at least one command.

[0096] The command may be a command to read from or write to the memory of the pixel.

[0097] The command is An identifier for the command, which defines the command type and the structure of the command's payload (e.g., the position of parameters within the payload, the size of the command, etc.); The command payload and may include:

[0098] The types of commands may belong to different types: for example, some commands may be used to read or write the entire screen, while some other commands may be used to read or write 2D shapes that form a subset of the screen.

[0099] If the type of the command belongs to at least one type relating to a 2D shape, the method P3 further comprises a second step S32 of reading at least one parameter relating to at least a pixel position in the display screen at a predefined position in the payload of the command.

[0100] In other words, this type of command allows retrieving a predefined type and position of at least one parameter of the command, and step S32 consists in reading at least one parameter of the command at the predefined position. The position of the pixel can be expressed, for example, as a row index and a column index of the screen.

[0101] At least one parameter of the command includes at least a pixel location within the display screen, and may include other parameters relating to, for example, the size, shape, or orientation of the 2D shape.

[0102] The size and shape of the 2D shape is therefore known at the output of step S32 either from at least one parameter, the command type, or a combination thereof.

[0103] for example, A command type may define a precise shape, e.g., an object whose size is known. The use of parameters related to a defined pixel of the shape (e.g., the pixel at the tip of the mouse cursor) is therefore sufficient to precisely determine all pixels in the screen that belong to that shape. The command type may define a shape type, e.g., a rectangle, and at least one parameter may define the rectangle size, e.g., its height and width. In combination with the position of at least one pixel, this also allows for the precise determination of all pixels in the screen that belong to the shape.

[0104] Thus, at the end of step S32, the size and position of the 2D shape is known.

[0105] Method P3 further comprises a third step S33 of writing intensity values ​​of said subset of pixels to or reading from a static memory of a subset of pixels of a screen based at least on said at least one parameter.

[0106] In other words, pixel intensities are read or written only for pixels within the 2D shape defined by the command's identifier and at least one parameter. Therefore, the amount of data transferred is reduced. Therefore, method P3 reduces the time required to read or write pixels and saves energy during the process of reading or writing pixel intensities.

[0107] Generally, writing a pixel is based on reading the payload and writing the pixel intensity accordingly to the pixel memory, and reading a pixel is based on reading the pixel intensity in the pixel memory and filling the payload accordingly and sending the information back, for example, to the processing unit Proc.

[0108] Writing or reading pixel intensities can be performed in different ways.

[0109] In some embodiments of the invention, the payload of the command further comprises at least one parameter defining a layout of a 2D shape, and said interface is configured to write or read said value of intensity according to said at least one parameter defining a layout of the 2D shape.

[0110] For example, the payload may include at least one parameter that defines an effect, color gradient, etc., to be applied to the 2D shape, and the pixel intensities of the 2D shape may be written according to the effect.

[0111] Thus, the layout of the 2D shape can be defined according to a minimal amount of information.

[0112] However, it is often not possible to define pixel intensity as a parametric effect, and pixel intensity often has to be defined on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

[0113] In another embodiment of the invention, the payload of the command comprises intensity values ​​of said subset of pixels, and said interface is configured to write or read said intensity values ​​according to a pixel path associated with said 2D shape.

[0114] In other words, the payload of the command therefore contains the intensities of the pixels themselves in a predefined order that corresponds to the pixel path in the 2D shape, and the pixel intensities are written or read in the payload in the order defined by the pixel path.

[0115] The number of intensity values ​​to read or write depends on the number of channels in the color representation of the pixel.

[0116] for example, If the color representation of the pixel is a grayscale representation, a single value of intensity may be read or written, representing the luminous intensity of the pixel; When a color representation of a pixel includes multiple channels, multiple values ​​of intensity corresponding to each of the multiple sub-pixels corresponding to each color channel may be written. For example, an RGB representation corresponds to three values ​​of intensity for each of the red, green, and blue sub-pixels, an RG representation corresponds to two values ​​of intensity for each of the red and green sub-pixels, and an RGBW representation corresponds to four values ​​of intensity for each of the red, green, blue, and white sub-pixels. According to various embodiments of the present invention, any color representation including multiple channels may be used.

[0117] For example, a command type may define a 2D shape associated with a predefined pixel path.

[0118] In some embodiments of the present invention, the command type may correspond to a defined 2D shape, defined pixel by pixel using a known predefined pixel path.

[0119] This is useful for representing specific 2D shapes. For example, a specific command may be defined to write a mouse pointer of a defined size. In that case, the payload only needs to contain the intensities of each of the pixels of the mouse cursor in the defined order.

[0120] In another embodiment of the present invention, the payload further includes at least one parameter for at least one dimension of the 2D shape; the size of the command payload depends on said at least one dimension; The pixel path is parameterized in said at least one dimension.

[0121] Such embodiments relate to writing or reading shapes of variable size. For example, the 2D shapes may be rectangles that may have different sizes, mouse cursors that may have different sizes, etc.

[0122] As mentioned above, the parameter relating to at least one dimension may be any kind of parameter that allows to infer a dimension (the dimension itself, a surface of a shape, a second pixel position, etc.).

[0123] Thus, at least one dimension allows determining pixels belonging to a 2D shape, and the pixel path may therefore be a parameter. For example, the pixel path may include pixel intensities of pixels line by line in a predefined direction (e.g., from left to right and from top to bottom).

[0124] Next, two specific examples of commands will be described.

[0125] Next, refer to Figure 4.

[0126] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a command for writing a rectangle whose position and dimensions are defined by the positions of two opposite corners in some embodiments of the present invention.

[0127] The command Cmd4 is used to write a rectangle into the display screen. The command identifier Id4 (in this example, the command is 0x10), the pixel coordinate of one of the rectangle's corners, e.g., the top-left corner defined by its row index RowCor14 and column index ColCor14, and Pixel coordinates of opposite corners of the rectangle, e.g., the bottom right corner, defined by its row index RowCor24 and column index ColCor24 parameters including, Pixel intensity PixInt4, which for each pixel in the rectangle contains its intensities PixInt14, PixInt24, ... PixIntn4 in the order defined by the pixel path Payload containing Payl4 and Includes.

[0128] The parameters therefore make it possible to completely define the size of the rectangle and the size of the payload, since the number of pixels to be written is equal to the height multiplied by the width of the rectangle and each.

[0129] The pixel path may correspond to, for example, a line-by-line traversal of a rectangle, e.g., from left to right and top to bottom. Thus, the order in which the pixels are written is deterministic, and the pixel intensities PixInt14, PixInt24, ... PixIntn4 may be inserted in the payload in the correct order. According to various embodiments of the present invention, each pixel is associated with a number of intensity values ​​equal to the number of color channels in the pixel representation.

[0130] A similar command can be used to read pixel intensities within a rectangle. In this case, the parameters can be the same parameters that define the position and size of the rectangle, and the pixel intensities PixInt14, PixInt24, PixIntN4 in the payload can be read instead of written.

[0131] Next, refer to Figure 5.

[0132] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a command for writing a rectangle whose positions and dimensions are defined by the positions of the rectangle's corners and their dimensions in some embodiments of the present invention.

[0133] The command Cmd5 is used to write a rectangle into the display screen. The command identifier Id5 (in this example, the command is 0x11), The pixel coordinate of one of the rectangle's corners, e.g., the top-left corner defined by its row index RowCor15 and column index ColCor15, and The dimensions of the rectangle, defined by its width W5 and height H5 parameters including, Pixel intensity PixInt5, which for each pixel contains its intensities PixInt15, PixInt25, ... PixIntn5 in the order defined by the pixel path Payload containing Payl5 and Includes.

[0134] The parameters therefore allow to completely define the size of the rectangle and the size of the payload, since the number of pixels to be written is equal to the height multiplied by the width of the rectangle and each. It is worth noting that in other embodiments of the invention, the position of the rectangle may be defined by the position of a pixel other than the corners of the rectangle, for example its center.

[0135] As in the example of command Cmd4, the pixel path may correspond to, for example, a line-by-line traversal of a rectangle, e.g., from left to right and top to bottom. Thus, the order in which the pixels are written is deterministic, and the pixel intensities PixInt15, PixInt25, ... PixIntn5 can be inserted in the correct order within the payload.

[0136] A similar command can be used to read the pixel intensities of a rectangle, in this case the parameters can be the same parameters that define the position and size of the rectangle, and the pixel intensities PixInt15, PixInt25, PixIntn5 in the payload can be read instead of written.

[0137] The examples in Figures 4 and 5 provide an illustration of a command that represents a rectangle whose size and position are parameters in the command.

[0138] However, other shapes may be defined by position and size parameters.

[0139] for example, A command may define a disk by the location of a predefined point (e.g., the center of the disk, the top, bottom, left edge, or end point of the disk, the corner of a square surrounding a square, or more generally any point that can be located with respect to the disk) and the size of the disk (e.g., the radius, diameter, area, or perimeter of the disk); A single command may define a triangle with parameters that define the positions of the three corners of the triangle: etc.

[0140] Each of these commands allows to deterministically define which pixels belong to a shape or which do not. Once the pixels that belong to a shape are known, a predefined pixel path can be applied, for example a line-by-line or column-by-column traversal of the pixels that belong to the shape to read or write the shape.

[0141] The examples of Figures 4 and 5 provide a concrete example of a command where the pixel intensity itself is stored in the payload.

[0142] It is worth noting that the pixel representation in the payload may or may not be identical to the pixel representation in memory of the pixel.

[0143] The representation of a pixel may be defined in particular by a bit depth. Pixel values ​​are often represented as unsigned integers, although the invention is not limited to this type of representation.

[0144] For example, if the representation of a pixel in memory is a 24-bit RGB representation (8 bits of intensity for each of the three color channels R, G, and B), then pixel intensities PixInt14, PixInt24, PixIntn4, PixInt15, PixInt25, and PixIntn5 can be represented in the payload using the same 24-bit representation, which can simply be copied into pixel memory. The representation is therefore identical between the payload and the pixel memory, and the size of the payload exactly matches the size of the pixel memory to read from or write to.

[0145] In other embodiments of the present invention, the pixel representation in the payload may differ from the pixel representation in memory.

[0146] For example, the parameters of the command may include a parameter that defines a command pixel depth that is lower than the depth of the pixels in the static memory, and the interface may be configured to perform a conversion between the command pixel depth and the depth of the pixels in the static memory.

[0147] For example, the color representation in the payload may differ from the color representation in the static memory of the pixel. For example, the pixels in the payload may be represented in grayscale format, and the pixels in the static memory may be represented in RGB format. In this example, the grayscale intensity stored in the payload may be replicated in each of the R, G, and B channels. In another example, the pixel representation in the payload uses a pixel depth for each pixel intensity that is lower than the pixel depth in the static memory. For example, if the pixel depth in the payload is equal to 6 (pixel intensities range from 0 to 63) and the pixel depth in the static memory is equal to 8 (pixel intensities range from 0 to 255), the conversion from the representation in the payload to the representation in the static memory may consist in multiplying the intensity values ​​in the payload by 4 in write mode and dividing the intensity values ​​in the static memory by 4 in read mode.

[0148] This therefore makes it possible to further reduce the size of the data to be transmitted.

[0149] This disclosure is not limited to the digital displays, devices, methods, computer software, and computer-readable non-transitory recording media described herein, which are merely examples, and the invention encompasses all alternatives that would occur to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this text. [Explanation of symbols]

[0150] Sys1 system Udev1 user device Dev Display Device Mem memory Proc Processor, Processing Unit Int interface Disp Active matrix digital display

Claims

1. a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a static memory storing one or more values ​​of intensity of said pixel; Interface (Int) and Equipped with said interface (Int) upon receipt of at least one command (Cmd4, Cmd5), Obtaining an identifier (Ind4, Ind5) of the type of said command; If the type of the command belongs to at least one type relating to 2D shapes, reading at least one parameter (Param4, Param5) at a predefined location of the payload (Payl4, Payl5) of the command, the parameter including at least one parameter related to at least one pixel location in a display screen and at least one parameter related to at least one dimension of the 2D shape, wherein a size of the payload depends on the at least one dimension of the 2D shape and a pixel path associated with the 2D shape is a parameter according to the at least one dimension of the 2D shape; writing intensity (PixIn4, PixInt5) values ​​of a subset of pixels from the payload of the command to the static memory of the subset of pixels of the screen according to the pixel path based at least on the at least one parameter for at least one pixel location; and reading intensity (PixIn4, PixInt5) values ​​of said subset of pixels from said static memory of said subset of pixels according to said pixel path based at least on said at least one parameter for at least one pixel location; and one or more of An active matrix digital display (Disp) configured to perform the above.

2. 2. The digital display of claim 1, wherein the payload of the command further includes at least one parameter that defines a layout of the 2D shape, and wherein the interface is configured to write or read the value of intensity according to the at least one parameter that defines the layout of the 2D shape.

3. 3. A digital display as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the type of command defines a 2D shape associated with a predefined pixel path.

4. the 2D shape is a rectangle; The at least one parameter is: The row index (RowCor14) of the first predefined corner of the rectangle; the column index (ColCor14) of the first predefined corner of the rectangle; a row index (RowCor24) of a second predefined corner of the rectangle, the second predefined corner being opposite the first predefined corner; the column index (ColCor24) of the second predefined corner of the rectangle; 4. A digital display according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising:

5. the 2D shape is a rectangle; The at least one parameter is: The row index (RowCor15) of the first predefined corner of the rectangle; the column index (ColCor15) of the first predefined corner of the rectangle; The height (H5) of the rectangle; The width of the rectangle (W5) 5. A digital display according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising:

6. the 2D shape is a disk; The at least one parameter is: a row index of a predefined point associated with said disk; a column index of the predefined point relative to the disk; a parameter relating to the size of the disk; 6. A digital display according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising:

7. the 2D shape is a triangle; 7. A digital display according to claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises the positions of three corners of the triangle.

8. the at least one parameter includes a parameter defining a command pixel depth that is less than a depth of the pixels in the static memory; 8. A digital display according to claim 1, wherein the interface is configured to perform a conversion between the command pixel depth and the depth of the pixels in the static memory.

9. An active matrix digital display according to any one of claims 1 to 8; a processing unit (Proc) configured to send at least one command to the interface of the digital display; A display device (Dev) comprising:

10. the processing unit, upon displacement of the object from an initial position to a final position within the 2D scene, sending a first command to the interface of the digital display to write pixels of a first 2D shape encompassing the object at the initial position and representing a background of the 2D scene; sending a second command to the interface of the digital display to write pixels of a second 2D shape that encompasses and represents the object at the final position; and The display device of claim 9 configured to:

11. A method (P3) performed by a digital display (Disp), said digital display (Disp) comprising: a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising a static memory storing one or more values ​​of intensity of said pixel; Interface (Int) and Equipped with The method comprises: receiving at least one command (Cmd4, Cmd5) via the interface (S31); If the type of the command belongs to at least one type related to 2D shapes, a step (S32) of reading at least one parameter (Param4, Param5) at a predefined position of a payload (Payl4, Payl5) of the command, the parameter including at least one parameter related to at least one pixel position in a display screen and at least one parameter related to at least one dimension of the 2D shape, wherein a size of the payload depends on the at least one dimension of the 2D shape and a pixel path associated with the 2D shape is a parameter according to the at least one dimension of the 2D shape; and writing intensity (PixIn4, PixInt5) values ​​of a subset of pixels from the payload of the command to the static memory of the subset of pixels of the screen according to the pixel path based at least on the at least one parameter for at least one pixel location; and a step (S33) of reading intensity values ​​(PixIn4, PixInt5) of said subset of pixels from said static memory of said subset of pixels according to said pixel path, based at least on said at least one parameter for at least one pixel location; and one or more of The method (P3) includes:

12. 12. Computer software or system firmware comprising instructions for implementing at least a portion of the method of claim 11 when said software or system firmware is executed by a processor.

13. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium having software or system firmware registered thereon such that, when executed by a processor, said software or system firmware implements the method of claim 11.

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