Display data processing
AssigneeDisplaylink (UK) Limited
InventorRichard Akester
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Display Data Processing A display system for displaying display data includes a host device a plurality of display control devices and a plurality of display devices at least two of the display devices having different characteristics. Depending on the available bandwidth and the required processing operations (e.g. rendering), the host device determines a subset of the processing steps that are to be performed by the display control devices instead by the host itself, so has to reduce the required data transmission bandwidth between the host and the displays.
Claims20
A host device for use in a display system for displaying display data, the display system comprising a host device, a plurality of display control devices and a plurality of display devices, at least two of the display devices having different characteristics, each display control device of the plurality of display control devices being connected to the host device and to a respective display device, wherein the display data is processed in a display data processing pipeline receiving an initial input of coded display data at the host device and generating a final output of rendered display data at each display control device for transmittal to a respective display device for display, the display data processing pipeline including a plurality of serially connected display data processing steps performed on the display data, wherein the host device is configured to:
- determine the characteristics of each of the display devices connected to each of the display control devices to determine characteristics of the rendered display data to be transmitted from the final output of the display data processing pipeline to the particular display device;
- determine processing capabilities of each of the display control devices connected to the host device;
- determine, based on at least the determined characteristics of the rendered display data required for a particular display device and on the processing capabilities of a particular display control device connected to the particular display device, a subset of the plurality of serially connected display data processing steps that are to be performed by the particular display control device, the subset ending at the final output;
- perform all the display data processing steps from the initial input to a display data processing step performed prior to the subset of the plurality of serially connected display data processing steps to generate part-processed data;
- and
- output the part-processed display data to the particular display control device to enable the particular display control device to perform the subset of the plurality of serially connected display data processing steps ending at the final output.
A display control device for use in a display system, the display system comprising a host device, a plurality of display control devices and a plurality of display devices, at least two of the display devices having different characteristics, each display control device of the plurality of display control devices being connected to the host device and to a respective display device, wherein the display data is processed in a display data processing pipeline receiving an initial input of coded display data at the host device and generating a final output of rendered display data at each display control device for transmittal to a respective display device for display, the display data processing pipeline including a plurality of serially connected display data processing steps performed on the display data, wherein the display control device is configured to:
- transmit to the host device the characteristics of the display device connected to the display control device to enable the host device to determine characteristics of the rendered display data to be transmitted from the final output of the display data processing pipeline to the particular display device;
- transmit to the host device processing capabilities of the display control device;
- receive, from the host device, information regarding a subset of the plurality of serially connected display data processing steps that are to be performed by the display control device, the subset ending at the final output;
- receive, from the host device, part-processed display data to enable the display control device to perform the subset of the plurality of serially connected display data processing steps;
- perform the display data processing steps in the subset of the plurality of serially connected display data processing steps on the part-processed display data to generate the rendered display data;
- and
- transmit the rendered display data to the display device connected to the display control device.
A method of displaying display data on a display system comprising a host device, a plurality of display control devices and a plurality of display devices, at least two of the display devices having different characteristics, each display control device of the plurality of display control devices being connected to the host device and to a respective display device, wherein the display data is processed in a display data processing pipeline receiving an initial input of coded display data at the host device and generating a final output of rendered display data at each display control device for transmittal to a respective display device for display, the display data processing pipeline including a plurality of serially connected display data processing steps performed on the display data, the method comprising:
- determining, at the host device, the characteristics of each of the display devices connected to each of the display control devices to determine characteristics of the rendered display data to be transmitted from the final output of the display data processing pipeline to the particular display device;
- determining, at the host device, processing capabilities of each of the display control devices connected to the host device;
- determining, at the host device, based on at least the determined characteristics of the rendered display data required for a particular display device and on the processing capabilities of a particular display control device connected to the particular display device, a subset of the plurality of serially connected display data processing steps that are to be performed by the particular display control device, the subset ending at the final output;
- performing, at the host device, all the display data processing steps from the initial input to a display data processing step performed prior to the subset of the plurality of serially connected display data processing steps to generate part-processed data;
- and
- outputting, from the host device, the part-processed display data to the particular display control device to enable the particular display control device to perform the subset of the plurality of serially connected display data processing steps ending at the final output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.