Zone management processor: a module for generating surfaces in raster-scan colour displays

Abstract

The zone management processor is a new display device for use in raster-scan display systems, its purpose being to generate areas with distinctive hue and luminance. The device is particularly useful for the display of solid objects and perspective views of scenes with the image being portrayed as a collection of surfaces. An image is normally produced by a multiprocessor system consisting of a number of these processors. The boundary edges of surfaces produced by the processors may be straight or curved. Mutual interaction of several processors results in correct presentation of surfaces obscured by other surfaces closer to the viewer. The system described operates to 625-line raster-scan colour television standards. The arrangement is especially suitable for the display of scenes changing rapidly in real time. A number of techniques for improvement of the static and dynamic quality of the images are described.