Method for Multi-Screen Operation in a Picture-in-Picture System

This invention generally relates to a multi-screen video cassette recorder (hereinafter referred to as VCR) and television set, and especially to a method for performing a screen processing onto a given number of subscreens each, in a picture-in-picture (PIP) system.

In general, a known PIP system displays a certain picture as a main screen and a given number of sub-screens, which have the same image source with one another, are arranged at predetermined positions on the main screen by pressing a PIP key. Meanwhile, with pressing a PLAY key the image from the video tape of the VCR will replace the existing main screen, whilst the sub-screens keep on displaying the present pictures. However, in this circumstance, if channel UP/DOWN key is inputted to change the present screen display at a user's desire, then the all sub-screens will be displayed with the same pictures changed whilst, of course, the main screen keeps the existing picture of the VCR. Accordingly, there is a disadvantage that the PIP system displays the sub-screens with the same pictures, which can not provide the user with a various PIP screen.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of multi-screen operation whereby a user is able to configure a desired picture-in-picture screen with each designated screen number on the picture-in-picture screen by using a technique of a skip channel on-screen-display (OSD).

According to an aspect of the invention to achieve the above object, there is provided a method for configuring the PIP screen, said method including the steps of:

(a) outputting rotation data to stop a strobing function if a SCREEN PROGRAM key is pressed;

(b) calling a skip channel OSD in the above strobe-stop condition to check if the channel UP/DOWN key is pressed, increasing pointer value if it is pressed, and selecting the currently flickering channel to output the rotation data, if it is not pressed but the ROTATE key is pressed; and

(c) clearing the skip channel OSD if the ROTATE key is not pressed, but the SCREEN key is pressed, and outputting the strobe data and setting a screen mode for zero to release the strobe-stop condition.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram according to the invention;

FIGS. 2A-2H show the screen status diagram according to the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart illustrating the overall operation of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart for displaying channel status according to the invention; and

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart for flickering a skip channel on-screen-display (OSD) according to the invention.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described hereinbelow in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the signal from a remote controller (not shown) is amplified by a pre-amplifier 17 and applied to a microcomputer 10. The microcomputer 10 decodes the signal applied to determine what type of key input has bee pressed. A first and second tuners 15, 16 are used to perform the picture-in-picture operation which makes it possible to configure the multi-screen freely at user's desire. The selection of the first or the second tuner 15, 16 is controlled by the first and second strobe terminals STB.sub.1 and STB.sub.2 of the microcomputer 10. The data output from the data terminal DATA.sub.1 of the microcomputer 10 affects the channel to be selected.

The output terminals T.sub.3, T.sub.4 of the first and second tuners 15, 16 are connected to the input terminals T.sub.1, T.sub.2 of an input and output selectors 12, 13, respectively. A line L connected to both the input and the output selector 12, 13 is used to connect external equipment to the VCR. Each of the input and output selectors 12, 13 is controlled by a given data Q.sub.0, Q.sub.1 and Q.sub.2, Q.sub.3 generated from the microcomputer 10 to select one of the signals applied from the input terminals T1, T2 and the line L. The input selector 12 is used to select the main screen, while the output selector 13 is used to select the sub-screen.

The signals selected by the input and output selectors 12, 13 are applied to a luminance/color (Y/C) unit 14 and a picture-in-picture (PIP) unit 11, respectively.

The Y/C unit 14 is used to create the main screen. The signals selected by the input selector 12 will be the main screen source if playback (PB) key is inputted, and, however, the screen for the tape will be the main screen source if the playback key is no inputted.

The main screen and the sub-screen selected by the input and output selectors 12, 13 are applied to the PIP unit 11. The PIP screen generated under the control of a clock SCK, data DATA, and strobe STB terminals of the microcomputer 10 is applied into a mixer 19. An on-screen-Display (OSD) 18 displays some characters under the control of the clock SCK, data DATA and strobe STB terminals of the microcomputer 10. The character data is sent out to the mixer 19 to be superimposed upon the screen. The mixer 19 superimposes the characters upon the screen with the video signal output.

The PIP unit 11 is controlled by exchanging the data in series with the microcomputer 10. As is shown in Table 1 hereinbelow, if the microcomputer 10 outputs the data (0000 0010), the PIP unit 11 performs the rotation function.

Pressing the ROTATE key (for example, in a 4-PIP system), the model used for the invention will stop strobing. To achieve the strobe-stop condition, the strobe data should be outputted in series to the PIP unit 11 from the microcomputer 10. To configure the PIP screen, it is required to press the SCREEN PROGRAM key or a corresponding key under the condition of FIG. 2A or under normal conditions.

Then the strobing will be stopped and, as shown in FIG. 2B, the skip channel is displayed by the OSD 18 while flickering the upper-most channel number. The strobing is to transfer the position of the moving screen in a given direction, rotationally. Only one of the four sub-screens is of the moving screen, while the others remain in still screens. The strobe-stop state is the state where the system remains in one of the strobing state, i.e., any one of the four sub-screens is a moving screen and the others are still screens. In addition, the skip channel represents the available channel for actual broadcasting. A memory which stores the channel number is called a skip memory.

Then, the upper-most channel number flickers by the strobe-stop state and, thereafter, pressing the channel UP/DOWN key changes the channel number flickering. Pressing the channel UP/DOWN key for lower channel when the lower-most channel 9 is flickering, channel 2 will disappear as, shown in FIG. 2C, and channel 11, the next channel in the skip memory, will be displayed.

Following is the description of how a screen comprised of four channel-7 screens is changed to one comprised of channels 2, 7, 9, and 11. Under the condition as shown in FIG. 2A, pressing the SCREEN PROGRAM key results in the condition shown in FIG. 2D. By pressing the ROTATE key, the moving screen currently at a first section is changed to the flickering channel 2 and is transferred to a second section. As shown in FIG. 2E, the first section is configured with the channel 2. In order to configure the second section with the channel 7, executing the rotation, or pressing the ROTATE key after making the channel 7 flickering by using the channel UP/DOWN key for a lower channel as shown in FIG. 2E, results in the configuration of FIG. 2F. Configuring a third section with the channel 9 and the fourth section with the channel 11 are conformed in the same way as the configuration procedures for the first and second sections. The resulting screens are depicted in FIGS. 2H and 2G respectively.

Pressing the PROGRAM key to leave the screen program mode releases the strobe-stop. Then, the channels configured by the user will be displayed and the OSD display for the skip channel will disappear.

The screen program function will now be described by referring to the flow diagram in FIG. 3. At step 1a, "1" is assigned to the screen mode flag and at step 1b, the microcomputer 10 checks whether the SCREEN PROGRAM key is pressed. If it is pressed, the strobing will be stopped and step 1c will be executed. Otherwise, the step 1b will be repeated.

At the step 1c, the microcomputer 10 checks if it is the 4-PIP screen mode or not. If it is the 4-PIP screen mode, step 1d will be executed. Otherwise, step 1e will be executed. At the step 1d, the rotation data will be output and step 2a will be executed. The 4-PIP data will be output at the step 1e and the rotation data will be output at step 1f then the step 2a will be executed. The step 2a calls the skip channel OSD and a step 2b checks whether the channel UP/DOWN key is pressed. If it is pressed, the skip memory pointer value will be increased by a designated value and the step 2a will be performed again. If it is not pressed, whether the ROTATE key is pressed will be checked at step 2d. If the ROTATE key is pressed, step 2e will be executed or, otherwise, a step 3a will be executed. The channel which is flickering on the skip channel OSD 18 is selected at the step 2e and then step 2f will be performed. At the step 2f, the rotation data is generated and the step 2a is executed again.

At the step 3a, whether the SCREEN PROGRAM key is pressed will be checked. If it is not pressed, the step 2a will be executed again. Otherwise, it clears the skip channel OSD 18 at step 3b and executes step 3c. The strobe-stop condition that outputs the strobing data will be released at the step 3c and then step 3d will be executed. At the step 3d, the screen mode will be set to "0" to complete the procedure.

FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram for indicating the channel on the screen, wherein the following steps will be executed with calling the skip channel OSD 18 at the step 2a. The skip channel OSD 18 will be called and the data for row address and column address will be output at step 4b and then step 4c will be performed. The step 4c outputs the channel number data stored in the skip memory and step 4d increases the row address. Then step 4e will be executed. At the step 4e, whether the row address is same with a last address. If it is not same with the last address, the step 4b will be executed again. If it is the last address, step 4f will be executed. The step 4f checks whether display-on flag DSPON is set to "1". If it is not "1", step 4h will be executed. If it is "1" step, 4g will be performed.

At the step 4g, the line corresponding to the pointer value which is added with the row address will be turned off to return. At the step 4h, the line corresponding to the pointer value plus the row address will be turned on to return to the main step.

FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram to show the time for the skip channel flickering interval. Step 5b checks whether the screen mode is "1" or not. If it is "1", step 5c will be executed. If not "1", step 5f will be performed. The step 5c checks whether the display-on flag DSPON is set to "1" or not. If it is not "1", the display-on flag DSPON is set to "1" at step 5d and then returns. If it is "1", the display-on flag DSPON is set to "0" at step 5e and then returns. At the step 5f, the general timer operates for a predetermined period and then returns.

As described above, for each designated screen channel memorized on the PIP screen, the user directly configures the desired PIP screen using the skip channel OSD. Therefore, the invention is advantageous in providing the user with various PIP screens and improving the quality of the system.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications in detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.