EP0465102A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Palette devices selection of multiple pixel depths packing the entire width of the bus
Assignee: Texas Instruments Inc
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Filing: 1991-06-26
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-06-26
Abstract
Abstract A palette device (4000) controllable by a digital computer (110,120) with a video memory (130) having a bus (136) for supplying multiple color codes for the palette device in each bus cycle. The palette device (4000) includes a multiple-bit input (4011) for entry of the color codes from the bus (136) and a look-up table memory (4021) for supplying color data words in response to the color codes from the input (4011). color code transfer circuitry (4051) is connected between the input (4011) and the look-up table memory (4021) to supply the look-up table memory from the input sequentially with color codes of selectable width packing the entire width of the bus (136). Improved palette devices, graphics computer systems, facsimile systems, printer systems and other systems and methods are also disclosed.
Inventors
- 👤 Jerry R. Van Aken
- 👤 Jeffrey L. Nye
- 👤 Michael D. Asal
- 👤 Carrell R. Killebrew, Jr.
- 👤 Karl M. Guttag
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 17:47
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09G; G09G5/00; G09G5/02; G09G5/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
90 words
An electronic circuit for use with a bus supplying multiple color codes for the electronic circuit in each bus cycle, and characterized by: a multiple-bit input for entry of the color codes from the bus; a look-up table menory for supplying color data words in response to the color codes from said input; and color code transfer circuitry connected between said input and said look-up table memory to supply said look-up table memory from said input sequentially with color codes of selectable width packing the entire width of the bus.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
29 words
The electronic circuit of claim 1 further characterized by a configuration circuit connected to said color code transfer circuitry to establish operating modes of said color code transfer circuitry.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
91 words
The electronic circuit of claim 2 wherein said configuration circuit includes a control register, and said color code transfer circuitry includes a control circuit responsive to the contents of said control register to produce control signals and further includes multiplexing circuitry connected between the input latch and said look-up table memory to transfer selected bits from the input latch to said look-up table memory, said multiplexing circuitry having selection inputs receiving the control signals which operate the multiplexing circuitry according to each mode established by the contents of said control register.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The electronic circuit of claims 2 or 3 further characterized by a decoder having inputs, said decoder enabling access to different parts of said configuration circuit identified by signals applied to the inputs.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
48 words
The electronic circuit of claims 1 and 2 wherein said transfer circuitry includes multiplexing circuitry having inputs connected to said input latch for the entire width of the bus and the multiplexing circuitry having a number of outputs which is a submultiple of the width of said bus.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
57 words
The electronic circuit of claim 5 wherein said transfer circuitry further includes a control circuit connected to operate said multiplexer to cyclically transfer to said look-up table memory the contents of said input latch for the entire width of the bus in sets of parallel bits equal in number to the number of outputs of said multiplexer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The electronic circuit of claims 1 or 2 wherein said transfer circuitry includes a shifter.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
96 words
The electronic circuit of claims 1 or 2 wherein said color code transfer circuitry has a first bus width status wherein a first number of bits are passed from said multiplebit input to said look-up table memory, and an alternatively programmable second bus width status passing a second fewer number of bits from said multiple-bit input to said look-up table memory wherein the second fewer number of bits is passed from a section of the input which is a subset of a larger section of the input from which the first number of bits is passed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
99 words
The electronic circuit of claims 1 or 2 wherein said multiple-bit input can receive multiple bytes for entry of color codes including nibbles, and said color code transfer circuitry has a nibble circuit responsive to a high-low state of a nibble input and connected between the multiple-bit input and said look-up table memory to pass a high nibble from plural bytes in the multiple-bit input to said look-up table memory or to pass a low nibble from plural bytes in the multiple-bit input to said look-up table memory, depending on the high or low state of the nibble input.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
83 words
The electronic circuit of claims 1 or 2 further characterized by a second multiple-bit input for respective bits representing color codes from a second bus; and said color code transfer circuitry has a selector circuit connected between said inputs and said look-up table memory, the selector circuit controllable to transfer selected color codes from the selected first or second bus to said look-up table memory and to select a video control signal for output depending on the selected first or second graphics bus.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
197 words
The electronic circuit of claim 10 further characterized by: a host computer having a mother board and a microcomputer chip and memory chips mounted thereon; a first printed wiring board attached to said mother board and having graphics circuitry mounted thereon and producing color code signals according to a first graphics architecture, said first printed wiring board attached to said mother board for control of said graphics circuitry by said microcomputer chip, and said first printed wiring board having a feature connector for output of said color code signals according to the first graphics architecture; and a second printed wiring board attached to said mother board and having a graphics processor mounted thereon and responsive to control by said microcomputer chip, and a video memory mounted on the second printed wiring board connected to said graphics processor and to produce color code signals on said first-named bus according to a second graphics architecture, and said second printed wiring board having a feature connector connected to said feature connector of said first printed wiring board for input to said second printed wiring board of said color code signals according to the first graphics architecture to the second bus.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
50 words
The electronic circuit of claim 10 or 11 further characterized by a graphics control circuit connected to said selector circuit to dynamically change the selection between the first and second bus to intersperse color data words resulting from selection of the first and second graphics bus in the same image.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
The electronic circuit of any of the previous claims further characterized by a digital to analog conversion circuit fed by said look-up table memory.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
61 words
The electronic circuit of claim 13 further characterized by: selection circuitry having inputs connected to said multiple-bit input and to an output of said look-up table memory to supply said digital to analog conversion circuit either with a color data word supplied by said look-up table memory or with a color data word comprised of color codes from the multiple-bit input.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
39 words
The electronic circuit of claim 14 wherein said selection circuitry is responsive to a predetermined value of bits of a color data word to select the bits of the other color data word for the digital to analog converter.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
57 words
The electronic circuit of any of the preceding claims further characterized by: a digital computer; and a video memory connected to said digital computer and operable to store color codes for information in a video image, and having said bus connected between an output of said video memory and said multiple bit input of the electronic circuit.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
27 words
The electronic circuit of any of the preceding claims further characterized by a color display device responsive to said color data words to produce a color display.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
96 words
The electronic circuit of any of the preceding claims further characterized by: a plurality of look-up table memories each for supplying color data words in response to color codes supplied to access the memories respectively; a plurality of digital to analog converters respectively connected to said plurality of look-up table memories and responsive to the respective color data words from the memories to produce a plurality of analog color signals; and a splitter circuit for connection to the bus and connected at a plurality of outputs thereof to access each of the look-up table memories concurrently.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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