Claims
- 1. A graphics computer system comprising:
- a host computer having a host data bus and a host address bus;
- a first video memory storing color codes corresponding to a display, said first video memory connected to said host data bus and said host address bus permitting said host computer to specify said color codes stored in said first video memory;
- a first palette connected to said first video memory having a first look-up table memory for recalling color data words corresponding to color codes received from said first video memory, said first palette connected to said host data bus and said host address bus permitting said host computer to specify said color data words stored in said first look-up table memory;
- a graphics processor having a local data bus and a local address bus;
- a second video memory storing color codes corresponding to a display, said second video memory connected to said local data bus and said local address bus permitting said graphics processor to specify said color codes stored in said second video memory;
- a second palette connected to said second video memory having a second look-up table memory for recalling color data words corresponding to color codes received from said second video memory, said second palette connected to said local data bus and said local address bus permitting said graphics processor to specify said color data words stored in said second look-up table memory;
- an interface circuit connected to said host data bus, said host address bus and said second palette, said interface circuit writing data on said host data bus into said second palette upon detecting predetermined addresses on said host address bus, said predetermined addresses employed for writing into said first palette, thereby causing at least a portion of said second palette to store identical data as stored in corresponding locations of said first palette.
- 2. The graphics computer system of claim 1, further comprising:
- a first display unit connected to said first palette generating a visually perceivable display corresponding to color data words recalled from said first look-up table.
- 3. The graphics computer system of claim 2, further comprising:
- a second display unit connected to said second palette generating a visually perceivable display corresponding to color data words recalled from said second look-up table.
- 4. The graphics computer system of claim 1, wherein:
- said second palette is selectively connectable to said first video memory for recalling color data words corresponding to color codes received from said first video memory.
- 5. The graphics computer system of claim 4, further comprising:
- a display unit connected to said second palette generating a visually perceivable display corresponding to color data words recalled from said second look-up table; and
- wherein said first palette is not connected to any display unit.
- 6. A graphics processor system comprising:
- a graphics processor having a local data bus and a local address bus;
- a video memory storing color codes corresponding to a display, said video memory connected to said local data bus and said local address bus permitting said graphics processor to specify said color codes stored in said video memory;
- a palette connected to said video memory having a look-up table memory for recalling color data words corresponding to color codes received from said video memory, said palette connected to said local data bus and said local address bus permitting said graphics processor to specify said color data words stored in said look-up table memory; and
- an interface circuit connected to a host data bus, a host address bus and said palette, said interface circuit writing data on said host data bus into said palette upon detecting predetermined addresses on said host address bus.
- 7. The graphics processor system of claim 2, further comprising:
- a display unit connected to said palette generating a visually perceivable display corresponding to color data words recalled from said look-up table.
- 8. The graphics processor system of claim 6, wherein:
- said palette is selectively connected to receive a stream of color codes for recalling color data words corresponding to said received color codes.
- 9. The graphics computer system of claim 8, further comprising:
- a display unit connected to said palette generating a visually perceivable display corresponding to color data words recalled from said look-up table.
- 10. In a graphics computer system including a host computer having a host data bus and a host address bus, a first video memory storing color codes corresponding to a display, a first palette having a first look-up table memory for recalling color data words corresponding to color codes received from said first video memory, a graphics processor having a local data bus and a local address bus, a second video memory storing color codes corresponding to a display, a second palette having a second look-up table memory for recalling color data words corresponding to color codes received from said second video memory, the method of operation comprising the steps of;
- employing said host computer to specify said color data words stored in said first look-up table memory via said host data bus and said host address bus;
- employing said second palette to specify said color data words stored in said second look-up table memory via said local data bus and said local address bus;
- detecting predetermined addresses on said host address bus, said predetermined addresses employed by said host computer for writing into said first palette;
- writing data on said host data bus into said second palette upon detecting said predetermined addresses on said host address bus, thereby causing at least a portion of said second palette to store identical data as stored in corresponding locations of said first palette.
- 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:
- forming a visually perceivable first display corresponding to color data words recalled from said first look-up table;
- forming a visually perceivable second display corresponding to color data words recalled from said second look-up table.
- 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:
- selectively connecting said second palette to said first video memory for recalling color data words corresponding to color codes received from said first video memory.
- 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:
- forming a visually perceivable display corresponding to color data words recalled from said second look-up table.
NOTICE
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/359,324 filed Dec. 15, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,553 which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/586,914 filed Sep. 24, 1990.
(C) Copyright, Texas Instruments Incorporated 1990. A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The following coassigned patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference as background and supporting information to the subject matter disclosed herein:
Ser. No. 446,019, filed Dec. 5, 1989, "Data Communications System";
Ser. No. 08/978,457, filed Nov. 19, 1992 and now abandoned, Ser. No. 798,278, filed Nov. 20, 1991 and now abandoned; a continuation of Ser. No. 408,454, filed Sep. 14, 1989, and now abandoned; a continuation of Ser. No. 256,803, filed Oct. 11, 1988 and now abandoned; a continuation of Ser. No. 821,375 filed Jan. 22, 1986 and now abandoned, "Data Processing System with Variable Memory Bank Selection; and
Japanese analog laid-open application No. 13275/1987; Ser. No. 965,561 filed Oct. 23, 1992; a continuation of Ser. No. 426,480, filed Oct. 23, 1989, and now abandoned; a continuation of Ser. No. 346,388 filed Apr. 27, 1989 and now abandoned; a continuation of Ser. No. 207,034 filed Jun. 13, 1988 and now abandoned; a continuation of Ser. No. 821,641 filed Jan. 23, 1986, "Graphics Data Processor, A Data Processing System, A Graphics Processing System and a Method of Processing Graphics Data";
U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,122, "Register Write Bit Protection Apparatus and Method";
Ser. No. 387,569, filed Jul. 28, 1989, and now abandoned, "Graphics Display Split-Serial Register System";
U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,617, "Graphics Processor Nonconfined Address Calculation System";
Ser. No. 386,850, filed Jul. 28, 1989 and now abandoned, "Real Time and Slow Memory Access Mixed Bus Usage";
U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,470, "Computer Graphics Systems, Palette Device and Methods for Shift Clock Pulse Insertion During Blanking".
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