Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

This information processing device: executes an application program; draws a frame image to be displayed on a screen of a display device, which is capable of updating a frame image at a variable refresh rate, in accordance with the processing content of the application program; determines a permissible rate range to be permitted as a refresh rate on the basis of display device operation conditions assumed by the application program; and causes the display device to refresh using a variable refresh rate within the determined permissible rate range.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program for generating an image to be displayed on a screen of a display device. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, display devices such as home television sets display video by continuously updating still images (frame images) displayed on the screen at a predetermined cycle (refresh rate). Therefore, an information processing device that generates video to be displayed on the display device must render each frame image that constitutes the video at a fixed frame rate that matches this refresh rate. However, a fixed frame rate can lead to problems such as not being able to fully utilize the rendering capabilities of the information processing device, or, conversely, display disturbances such as stuttering and tearing can occur if the rendering capabilities of the information processing device are insufficient.

[0003] Therefore, video standards such as HDMI (registered trademark) have proposed a technology called variable refresh rate (VRR), which allows the refresh rate of a display device to be variable. This technology allows the display device to update the displayed image at any refresh rate, so the information processing device can dynamically change the frame rate according to its own drawing speed, etc., allowing it to draw frame images at a more desirable frame rate. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There are various types of application programs that determine the content of the images to be displayed on a display device, and some of these programs do not support the variable refresh rate technology described above and are designed to display images at a fixed refresh rate. As such, depending on the type of application program, when updating frame images at a variable refresh rate, the frame images may be updated at a different timing than expected, resulting in an undesirable display, such as an unsmooth image display.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can provide more desirable display on a display device that supports a variable refresh rate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention is an information processing device connected to a display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate, and is characterized by including a frame image drawing unit that executes an application program and draws frame images to be displayed on the screen of the display device in accordance with the processing content of the application program, and a refresh rate control unit that determines an allowable rate range that is acceptable as a refresh rate based on the operating conditions of the display device assumed by the application program, and causes the display device to perform a refresh at a variable refresh rate within the determined allowable rate range.

[0007] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present invention is an information processing method for controlling a display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate, and is characterized by including the steps of executing an application program and drawing a frame image to be displayed on the screen of the display device in accordance with the processing content of the application program, and determining an allowable rate range that is acceptable as a refresh rate based on the operating conditions of the display device assumed by the application program, and causing the display device to perform a refresh at a variable refresh rate within the determined allowable rate range.

[0008] A program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer connected to a display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate to execute an application program, draw frame images to be displayed on a screen of the display device in accordance with the processing content of the application program, determine an allowable rate range for refresh rates based on operating conditions of the display device assumed by the application program, and cause the display device to refresh at a variable refresh rate within the determined allowable rate range. This program may be provided by being stored on a computer-readable, non-transitory information storage medium. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a functional block diagram showing functions realized by an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of refresh rate control in which a frame image is updated once every N refresh cycles. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of refresh rate control in the case where a frame image is updated once every N refresh cycles. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] An information processing device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a home game console, a personal computer, or the like, and, as shown in Fig. 1, includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and an interface unit 13. The information processing device 10 is also connected to a display device 14 and an operation device 15 so as to be able to communicate data with them.

[0012] The control unit 11 includes at least one processor such as a CPU, and executes programs stored in the storage unit 12 to perform various types of information processing. The control unit 11 may also include a computing device such as a GPU specialized for image processing. Specific examples of the processing performed by the control unit 11 in this embodiment will be described later. The storage unit 12 includes at least one memory device such as a RAM, and stores the programs executed by the control unit 11 and data processed by the programs. The storage unit 12 also includes a buffer memory that temporarily stores frame images, which will be described later.

[0013] The interface unit 13 is an interface for data communication between the display device 14 and the operation device 15. The information processing device 10 is connected to the display device 14 and the operation device 15 via the interface unit 13 either wired or wirelessly. Specifically, the interface unit 13 includes a multimedia interface for transmitting a video signal supplied by the information processing device 10 to the display device 14. In particular, in this embodiment, the interface unit 13 includes an interface capable of transmitting a video signal in accordance with a standard compatible with a variable refresh rate, such as HDMI. The interface unit 13 also includes a data communication interface for receiving an operation signal indicating the content of an operation input by a user from the operation device 15. The interface unit 13 may further include a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from another computer via a communication network, such as the Internet.

[0014] The display device 14 is a home television receiver, a monitor device for a personal computer, or the like, and displays an image based on a video signal received from the information processing device 10. In particular, in this embodiment, the display device 14 supports variable refresh rate technology and refreshes the image displayed on the screen at any timing determined according to the video signal supplied by the information processing device 10. Here, refresh refers to the operation of the display device 14 starting to re-display the image displayed on the screen. By performing a refresh, the display device 14 updates the frame image currently displayed on the screen with a new frame image received from the information processing device 10, or re-displays the currently displayed frame image. By performing this refresh at any timing, the display device 14 can update the frame image displayed at a dynamically changing refresh rate.

[0015] The operation device 15 is a device for accepting operation inputs from the user of the information processing device 10, and may be, for example, a controller for a home game console, a keyboard, a mouse, etc. The operation device 15 has operation members such as buttons and a touchpad for accepting operation inputs from the user, and transmits operation signals indicating the content of the operation inputs from the user to the operation members to the information processing device 10.

[0016] Functions realized by the information processing device 10 in this embodiment will be described below with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. 2. As shown in the diagram, the information processing device 10 functionally comprises a frame image drawing unit 21, a frame image transmission unit 22, and a refresh rate control unit 23. These functions are realized by the control unit 11 executing one or more programs stored in the storage unit 12. These programs may be provided to the information processing device 10 via a communication network such as the Internet, or may be provided to the information processing device 10 by storing them on an information storage medium such as an optical disc.

[0017] The frame image drawing unit 21 determines the content of the frame image to be displayed on the screen of the display device 14 and draws it. The frame image drawing unit 21 is realized by the control unit 11 executing an application program such as a game program. As an example, when processing a game in which a character is controlled in a virtual space, the frame image drawing unit 21 determines the positions and states of various objects placed in the virtual space, as well as the viewpoint position, and draws a frame image that shows the state of that virtual space. Note that the drawing of the frame image and some of its processing may be realized by a program independent of the application program that determines the content of the frame image, such as a graphics library or game engine.

[0018] Frame image drawing unit 21 repeatedly draws such frame images by continuously executing loop processing. Here, as described above, because display device 14 supports a variable refresh rate, frame image drawing unit 21 does not need to draw frame images at regular time intervals, and may draw frame images at any time interval.

[0019] However, some application programs that determine the content of frame images do not support variable refresh rates and operate under the assumption that the display device updates frame images at a fixed refresh rate. Hereinafter, application programs that operate under such assumptions will be referred to as specific programs. The fixed refresh rate assumed by a specific program will be referred to as the assumed refresh rate value Rr. When a display device that supports only a fixed refresh rate and not a variable refresh rate is connected, the frame image rendering unit 21 executing the specific program is expected to render frame images at approximately regular intervals at a frame rate determined according to the assumed refresh rate value Rr.

[0020] Furthermore, some specific programs may assume that the display device will update frame images at a lower refresh rate during execution, thereby rendering frame images at a lower frequency than the refresh rate of the display device. For example, a specific program may assume that the display device will refresh at a fixed refresh rate of 60 Hz and display a new frame image once every two refreshes. In this case, the specific program renders new frame images at a frame rate of approximately 30 fps. This method allows the frame image rendering unit 21 to render frame images at a lower frequency with a relatively ample time, while the display device continues to operate at the fixed refresh rate of 60 Hz. Hereinafter, the frame image update rate assumed by the specific program in such a case will be referred to as the assumed update rate value Ru. Furthermore, the number of refreshes assumed by the display device to perform one frame image update will be referred to as the assumed refresh count N. In the example described above, the assumed refresh rate value Rr of the display device 14 is 60 Hz, and the assumed refresh count N is two, so the assumed update rate value Ru is 30 Hz (= 60 / 2). In general, the following relationship holds between the expected refresh rate value Rr, the expected update rate value Ru, and the expected number of refreshes N: Ru=Rr / N

[0021] It should be noted that a specific program does not necessarily need to assume that the display device will always operate with the same assumed refresh rate value Rr and assumed number of refreshes N during its execution, but may assume that the display device will perform refresh control under different operating conditions as the processing progresses, for example, for each scene.

[0022] The frame image transmitting unit 22 sequentially transmits the frame images drawn by the frame image drawing unit 21 to the display device 14. The frame images transmitted by the frame image transmitting unit 22 are sequentially displayed on the screen of the display device 14, whereby the processing results of the application program are presented to the user as video.

[0023] Here, when the frame image rendering unit 21 is realized by a specific program, the frame image rendering unit 21 will render frame images at a frame rate corresponding to the assumed update rate value Ru, as described above. The frame image transmission unit 22 will transmit new frame images at the assumed update rate value Ru to the display device 14 at approximately regular time intervals, in accordance with the timing at which the frame image rendering unit 21 renders the frame images.

[0024] The refresh rate control unit 23 controls the refresh rate of the display device 14. In particular, in this embodiment, when the frame image rendering unit 21 is implemented by a specific program, the refresh rate control unit 23 controls the refresh rate of the display device 14 so that the frame images are updated at the assumed update rate value Ru or an update rate close to that value. This is because if the display device 14 updates the frame images at a variable refresh rate, and as a result the frame images are updated at a timing that differs from the assumed update rate value Ru, problems such as video being played at a speed different from that assumed by the specific program or dropped frames may occur.

[0025] Specifically, when the application program that realizes the functions of frame image rendering unit 21 is a specific program, refresh rate control unit 23 acquires information (herein referred to as expected operating condition information) regarding the operating conditions of the display device assumed by the specific program. For example, if the expected operating conditions of the display device change for each scene while the specific program is being executed, the specific program may specify new expected operating conditions to refresh rate control unit 23 when the expected operating conditions change. In this way, even if the expected operating conditions change as the processing of the specific program progresses, refresh rate control unit 23 can always acquire the expected operating condition information at that time. Furthermore, if the expected operating conditions do not change while the specific program is being executed, refresh rate control unit 23 may acquire the expected operating condition information by, for example, referencing a setting file that is previously associated with the specific program and stored in storage unit 12.

[0026] The expected operating condition information must include information that can identify at least the expected update rate value Ru. Such information may be the expected update rate value Ru itself, or a combination of the expected refresh rate value Rr and the expected number of refreshes N. Note that default values ​​may be set in advance for at least some of these parameters. In this way, even if the specific program does not assume operation at a variable refresh rate and does not have a function for specifying the expected operating conditions, the refresh rate control unit 23 can assume that the specific program assumes the default expected refresh rate value Rr and expected number of refreshes N, and control the refresh rate according to these values.

[0027] The refresh rate control unit 23 uses the acquired assumed operating condition information to determine the actual operating conditions of the display device 14 and controls the refresh rate of the display device 14 according to the operating conditions. Specifically, the refresh rate control unit 23 determines whether the display device 14 will operate at a fixed refresh rate or a variable refresh rate. If the display device 14 is to operate at a variable refresh rate, the refresh rate control unit 23 determines a range of values ​​that are acceptable for the refresh rate and performs refresh at a variable refresh rate within this range of values. Hereinafter, this range of values ​​that are acceptable for the refresh rate will be referred to as an acceptable rate range. The acceptable rate range is defined by at least one of an upper limit value Rmax and a lower limit value Rmin of the rate value. Hereinafter, the acceptable rate range from the lower limit value Rmin to the upper limit value Rmax will be represented as [Rmin, Rmax].

[0028] By setting an allowable rate range for display device 14, refresh rate control unit 23 can limit the time interval at which display device 14 performs a refresh. Hereinafter, the time interval at which display device 14 performs a refresh is referred to as the refresh interval, and the range of time allowed as the refresh interval corresponding to the allowable rate range is referred to as the allowable refresh interval range. Furthermore, the lower limit value of the refresh interval corresponding to the upper limit value Rmax of the allowable rate range is referred to as Tmin, and the upper limit value of the refresh interval corresponding to the lower limit value Rmin of the allowable rate range is referred to as Tmax.

[0029] Specifically, when updating frame images at a variable refresh rate, if the display device 14 receives a new frame image from the information processing device 10 and a time equal to or greater than the lower limit Tmin of the refresh interval has not elapsed since the previous refresh, the display device 14 waits for the lower limit Tmin to elapse before performing the next refresh and displays the new frame image. Furthermore, if the upper limit Tmax of the refresh interval has elapsed without receiving a new frame image from the information processing device 10 after the previous refresh, the display device 14 performs the next refresh. This refresh re-displays the previous frame image. On the other hand, if a new frame image is received between the lower limit Tmin and the upper limit Tmax, the display device 14, which operates at a variable refresh rate, immediately refreshes and displays the received frame image. The refresh rate control unit 23 sets an appropriate allowable rate range for the display device 14 according to the expected refresh rate Rr, thereby enabling the display device 14 to update frame images at or near the expected refresh rate Ru of a specific program while enjoying the benefits of a variable refresh rate.

[0030] Below, we will explain a specific example of the method by which the refresh rate control unit 23 determines the operating conditions of the display device 14. First, we will explain an example of control that the refresh rate control unit 23 executes when it is assumed that a specific program updates frame images at an assumed refresh rate value Rr, that is, when the assumed number of refreshes N=1 and the assumed update rate value Ru is equal to the assumed refresh rate value Rr.

[0031] As a premise, the refresh rate control unit 23 determines the allowable rate range so that it falls within the rate range of the variable refresh rate that can be supported by the display device 14. Generally, a display device that supports a variable refresh rate has a function of notifying the connected information processing device 10 of the rate range of the variable refresh rate that it can support. Therefore, the refresh rate control unit 23 determines the allowable rate range so that it does not exceed the supportable rate range notified in advance by the connected display device 14.

[0032] Furthermore, if the application program that realizes frame image rendering unit 21 is a specific program, refresh rate control unit 23 determines the allowable rate range to include the expected refresh rate value Rr (here, this matches the expected update rate value Ru) of that specific program. Because the specific program renders new frame images at a frame rate corresponding to the expected refresh rate value Rr, if the allowable rate range includes the expected refresh rate value Rr, it can be expected that display device 14 will immediately refresh and update the frame image when it receives a new frame image.

[0033] Here, if the expected refresh rate value Rr is not included in the range of variable refresh rates that the display device 14 can support, the refresh rate control unit 23 may control the display device 14 to refresh at a fixed frame rate. Even if the expected refresh rate value Rr is not included in the range of variable refresh rates that the display device 14 can support, there are cases where the display device 14 can refresh at the expected refresh rate value Rr of the application program if the refresh rate is fixed. In such cases, the refresh rate control unit 23 instructs the display device 14 to display at the fixed refresh rate. This will result in the loss of the benefits of a variable refresh rate, but will allow the display device 14 to display images at the refresh rate originally intended by the specific program.

[0034] As a specific example, a case will be described in which the allowable rate range of the variable refresh rate that display device 14 can support is from 70 Hz to 144 Hz. In this case, when a specific program with an assumed refresh rate value Rr of 120 Hz is executed, refresh rate control unit 23 sets the allowable rate range to [70 Hz, 144 Hz], or a narrower range that includes 120 Hz. This allows display device 14 to enjoy the benefits of a variable refresh rate while displaying images at or near the assumed refresh rate value Rr of the specific program.

[0035] On the other hand, if the expected refresh rate value Rr for a specific program is 60 Hz, and the display device 14 refreshes within the allowable rate range [70 Hz, 144 Hz], even the longest refresh interval will be shorter than the expected refresh rate value Rr, which could result in the image being displayed faster than expected by the specific program, or frame images not being drawn in time, resulting in dropped frames. Therefore, the refresh rate control unit 23 instructs the display device 14 to refresh at a fixed refresh rate of 60 Hz. This allows the image to be displayed as expected by the specific program.

[0036] Next, the control executed by the refresh rate control unit 23 when the expected refresh count N≧2, that is, when a specific program draws a frame image at an expected update rate Ru lower than the expected refresh rate Rr, will be described.

[0037] First, in general terms, the refresh rate control unit 23 controls the refresh rate of the display device 14 so that, after the display device 14 performs the previous frame image update, it executes a refresh that does not involve updating the frame image (N-1) times, and then updates the next frame image when it performs the Nth refresh. Furthermore, the refresh rate control unit 23 controls the display device 14 to update the frame image at a variable refresh rate by setting an allowable rate range at least when it performs the Nth refresh. In this case, the refresh rate control unit 23 determines the allowable rate range for the Nth refresh so that the allowable refresh interval range corresponding to the allowable rate range for the Nth refresh includes the expected update timing of the frame image. This allows the display device 14 to update the frame image at or near the expected update timing of a specific program.

[0038] Specifically, when the expected refresh rate value Rr and the expected number of refreshes N are assumed, the expected refresh rate value Ru is Rr / N, and the expected time interval from the previous frame image update to the next frame image update corresponding to this expected refresh rate value Ru (hereinafter referred to as the expected refresh interval Tu) is calculated as Tu=1000 / Ru (ms). The allowable refresh interval range for the Nth refresh is [Tmin, Tmax], and the time required for the refresh from the previous frame image update to the (N-1)th refresh is T N-1 In this case, the refresh rate control unit 23 T N-1 +Tmin≦Tu≦T N-1 +Tmax Determine the control content of the refresh rate up to the (N - 1)th time and the allowable rate range at the time of the Nth refresh so as to satisfy the following relational expression. However, since Tmin < Tmax is required, the two equal signs in the above relational expression do not hold simultaneously.

[0039] If the relational expression as described above is satisfied, the timing of the refresh up to the (N - 1)th time may be any timing. Therefore, the refresh rate control unit 23 may set an allowable rate range for the refresh up to the (N - 1)th time and execute the refresh at a variable refresh rate, or may execute the refresh at a fixed refresh rate. Also, it is not necessary to execute the refresh up to the (N - 1)th time with the same control content, and it may be executed with different control contents each time. Hereinafter, some specific examples of the control executed by the refresh rate control unit 23 to cause the display device 14 to perform N times of refresh will be described.

[0040] First, as a first example, the case where the frame image is updated every refresh count equal to the assumed refresh count N assumed by a specific program without changing the control content of the refresh rate will be described. In this example, the refresh rate control unit 23 determines the allowable rate range so that the display device 14 performs an update of the frame image when executing the Nth refresh after executing (N - 1) times of refresh without frame image update. Then, by executing the refresh at a variable refresh rate within this allowable rate range for N times, the display device 14 is controlled so that the timing of receiving a new frame image becomes the timing at which the Nth refresh can be executed.

[0041] For ease of explanation, we will first explain the case where the expected number of refreshes N=2. When the allowable refresh interval range is limited to [Tmin, Tmax] by setting the allowable rate range, the display device 14 performs a refresh when the upper limit value Tmax has elapsed since the previous refresh unless a new frame image is received. If the next frame image is then received after the lower limit value Tmin has elapsed, the display device 14 immediately performs a refresh at that point to update the frame image. Therefore, if the frame image update interval corresponding to the expected update rate value Ru is longer than (Tmin + Tmax) and shorter than 2Tmax, the display device 14 can immediately display the received frame image.

[0042] As a specific example, if the expected refresh rate value Rr of a specific program is 60 Hz and the expected number of refreshes N is 2, the expected update rate value Ru is 30 Hz, and the expected update interval Tu corresponding to this expected update rate value Ru is approximately 33.3 ms (=1000 / 30). In this case, the specific program draws frame images at a frame rate of 30 fps, and the display device 14 receives a new frame image approximately every 33.3 ms.

[0043] In this case, the refresh rate control unit 23 determines whether the allowable refresh interval range [Tmin, Tmax] is Tmin+Tmax≦Tu≦2Tmax The allowable rate range is determined so as to satisfy the following relational expression. Tmax ≥ Tu / 2 Tmin≦Tu-Tmax By determining Tmin and Tmax so that Tmin and Tmax satisfy the above-mentioned relational expression, it is possible to determine the allowable rate range that satisfies the above-mentioned relational expression. In this way, the display device 14 can continue to update frame images at the expected update interval Tu of the specific program or at a time interval close to that interval, while maintaining a variable refresh rate.

[0044] More generally, even when a specific program assumes that the display device will update frame images once every N refreshes (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2), the allowable rate range can be determined using a similar approach. Specifically, the refresh rate control unit 23 determines an allowable rate range for N refreshes so that frame image updates do not occur in the first (N-1) refreshes and the next frame image is received by the time the Nth refresh occurs, thereby making it possible to update frame images at or near the update timing assumed by the specific program. In this case, if the expected update interval Tu is within the allowable refresh interval range [Tmin, Tmax], Tmin+(N-1)·Tmax≦Tu≦N·Tmax The allowable rate range can be determined so as to satisfy the following relational expression. In this way, the display device 14 will generate a refresh every time the upper limit value Tmax of the time interval arrives while the frame image is not being updated. Then, after such refreshes that do not involve updating the frame image have occurred (N-1) times, if a new frame image is received at a time that is longer than the lower limit value Tmin but shorter than the upper limit value Tmax, the display device 14 will perform the Nth refresh and can immediately display the new frame image.

[0045] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating such refresh rate control, showing an example of refreshes performed by the display device 14 when the expected number of refreshes N=3. In this diagram, the triangle symbol indicates a refresh that does not involve updating the frame image, and the triangle symbol indicates a refresh that does involve updating the frame image. In the example shown in this diagram, the first and second refreshes after the previous frame image update are each performed when a time Tmax has elapsed since the previous refresh. Thereafter, frame image updates occur when a new frame image is received within the allowable refresh interval range [Tmin, Tmax].

[0046] Next, a second example of a method for controlling the refresh rate when updating a frame image once every N times will be described. In this second example, unlike the first example, the refresh rate control unit 23 changes the control content between the first (N-1)th refresh and the Nth refresh. Specifically, the first (N-1)th refresh is performed at a fixed refresh rate of the expected refresh rate value Rr, as expected by the specific program. Thereafter, for the Nth refresh, the refresh is performed at a variable refresh rate within an allowable rate range that includes the expected refresh rate value Rr.

[0047] As a specific example, if a specific program assumes that the expected refresh rate value Rr is 120 Hz and that the frame image is to be updated once every three refreshes, the refresh rate control unit 23 executes two refreshes at a fixed refresh rate of 120 Hz after the previous frame image update.The refresh rate control unit 23 then sets an allowable rate range that includes 120 Hz and executes refreshes at a variable refresh rate.

[0048] FIG. 4 illustrates the details of such refresh rate control, with the triangle and triangle symbols indicating refresh timing, as in FIG. 3. When the expected refresh rate value Rr is 120 Hz, the refresh interval corresponding to this expected refresh rate value Rr (here, assumed to be the expected refresh interval Tr) is approximately 8.3 ms (=1000 / 120). The refresh rate control unit 23 executes two (=3-1) refreshes at this expected refresh interval. Thereafter, for the third refresh, the allowable refresh interval range [Tmin, Tmax] is set so that it includes the expected refresh interval Tr. This allows frame images to be updated at the expected refresh interval Tu or a time interval close thereto, similar to the first example, once every N refreshes. Unlike the first example, this second example requires frequent switching of the refresh rate of the display device 14. However, it is possible to cause the display device 14 to execute refreshes at the expected refresh rate value Rr of a specific program or a refresh rate close thereto.

[0049] In both the first and second examples described above, the display device 14 is caused to perform refresh under the same conditions from the previous frame image update until the (N-1)th refresh occurs. However, as mentioned above, the refresh rate control unit 23 is not limited to this, and may change the rate value of the fixed refresh rate or the allowable rate range of the variable refresh rate each time a refresh occurs.

[0050] Here, for example, if the refresh rate control unit 23 sets different allowable rate ranges for each of the (N-1) refreshes and executes the refreshes, T N-1 The length of the allowable rate ranges set for each time is assumed to be the sum of the upper limits of the allowable refresh interval ranges corresponding to the allowable rate ranges set for each time. As long as this sum is set to satisfy the above-mentioned relational expression, the allowable rate ranges set for each time may be different from each other.

[0051] As described above, according to the information processing device 10 of this embodiment, when a frame image drawn by a specific program is displayed on a display device 14 that supports a variable refresh rate, the frame image can be updated at an expected update rate value of the specific program or an update rate close to that value.

[0052] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described above. For example, the parameter values ​​such as the expected refresh rate value Rr, the expected number of refreshes N, and the expected update rate value Ru in the above description are merely examples, and various values ​​that are compatible with a specific program or display device 14 may be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10 information processing device, 11 control unit, 12 storage unit, 13 interface unit, 14 display device, 15 operation device, 21 frame image drawing unit, 22 frame image transmission unit, 23 refresh rate control unit

Claims

1. An information processing device connected to a display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate, a frame image drawing unit that executes an application program and draws a frame image to be displayed on the screen of the display device in accordance with the processing content of the application program; a refresh rate control unit that determines an allowable rate range that is permissible as a refresh rate based on operating conditions of a display device that updates frame images at a fixed refresh rate, which is assumed by the application program, and causes the display device that is capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate to perform refresh at the variable refresh rate within the determined allowable rate range; 10. An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The refresh rate control unit determines the allowable rate range so as to include an assumed refresh rate value assumed by the application program as a rate value when the display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate updates frame images at a fixed refresh rate.

1. An information processing device comprising:

3. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, The refresh rate control unit causes the display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate to perform refresh at a fixed refresh rate when the expected refresh rate value is not included in a rate range that can be handled by the display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate.

1. An information processing device comprising:

4. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, When the application program assumes that a display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate updates frame images at a fixed refresh rate once every N expected refresh times (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2), the refresh rate control unit determines the control content of refresh to be executed by the display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate, based on an expected refresh rate value assumed as a rate value of the fixed refresh rate and the expected refresh times.

1. An information processing device comprising:

5. 5. The information processing device according to claim 4, The refresh rate control unit determines an allowable rate range for performing the Nth refresh after the display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate has performed (N-1) refreshes that do not involve updating of frame images after the previous update of the frame image, so that a time interval allowable according to the allowable rate range when performing the Nth refresh includes an expected update timing of the frame image determined according to the expected refresh rate value and the expected number of refreshes, and causes the Nth refresh to be performed within the determined allowable rate range.

1. An information processing device comprising:

6. 6. The information processing device according to claim 5, The refresh rate control unit determines the allowable rate range so that the display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate performs refreshes (N-1) times without updating frame images, and then updates the frame images when performing the Nth refresh, and causes the display device to perform refreshes at a variable refresh rate N times within the determined allowable rate range.

1. An information processing device comprising:

7. 6. The information processing device according to claim 5, The refresh rate control unit causes the display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate to perform refresh (N-1) times at a fixed refresh rate of the expected refresh rate value, and then causes refresh at a variable refresh rate within the allowable rate range that includes the expected refresh rate value.

1. An information processing device comprising:

8. An information processing method for controlling a display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate, comprising: a step of executing an application program and drawing a frame image to be displayed on a screen of the display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate in accordance with the processing content of the application program; determining an allowable rate range that is permissible as a refresh rate based on the operating conditions of a display device that updates frame images at a fixed refresh rate, which is assumed by the application program, and causing the display device that is capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate to perform refresh at the variable refresh rate within the determined allowable rate range; An information processing method comprising:

9. A computer connected to a display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate, a step of executing an application program and drawing a frame image to be displayed on a screen of the display device capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate in accordance with the processing content of the application program; determining an allowable rate range that is permissible as a refresh rate based on the operating conditions of a display device that updates frame images at a fixed refresh rate, which is assumed by the application program, and causing the display device that is capable of updating frame images at a variable refresh rate to perform refresh at the variable refresh rate within the determined allowable rate range; A program to execute.

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