Display Controller Timestamp Synchronization for Multi-Device Rendering
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Solution Overview
Problem
When multiple display devices are used to display related information in cooperation, differences in GPU performance lead to variations in rendering timing, causing issues such as image breaks and ineffective guidance for drivers in vehicle systems.
Innovation Solution
A display control system that includes a display controller generating graphics commands with timestamps, allowing display devices to perform parallel processing of timestamp acquisition and rendering, and implementing reduction processing when timing differences exceed a threshold to synchronize rendering across devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple display devices with different GPU performances are used to display related information, then the system can provide comprehensive information display, but rendering timing differences occur causing image breaks and ineffective guidance
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating rendering results on the reference display device before actual display. The rendering result transmission unit transmits these pre-rendered results to other display devices, allowing them to display synchronized content without performing their own rendering, thus eliminating timing differences caused by varying GPU performances.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the rendering result from the reference display device and transmits it to other display devices. Instead of each device independently rendering the same content (which causes timing variations), the rendered image is copied and distributed to all devices, ensuring they all display the identical content at the same time.
2Ease of operation
If each display device performs independent rendering processing, then device autonomy is maintained, but rendering timing differences occur due to varying GPU performances
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the rendering function into a single reference display device while other devices focus on display operations. By combining the rendering task into one device and distributing the results to others, the system eliminates timing variations caused by multiple independent rendering processes while maintaining coordinated operation across all devices.
3Reliability
If rendering processing is performed on all display devices, then each device can operate independently, but system complexity increases and timing synchronization becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The reference display device performs self-service by independently completing the rendering processing task. Other display devices receive the rendered results and directly display them without needing to perform their own rendering, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining coordinated operation through the transmission and display workflow.
Data Source
AI summary
A display control system includes a plurality of display devices and a display controller (display device). The display controller generates a graphics command for each frame, and attaches, to the graphics command, time stamp corresponding to an order of generation of the graphics command. Each of the plurality of display devices: acquires the graphics command; performs, in parallel, first processing of acquiring only the time stamp attached to the graphics command in the order of generation and second processing of performing rendering processing based on the graphics command in the order of generation and acquiring the time stamp attached to the graphics command based on which the rendering processing is performed; and when a difference between the time stamp acquired in the first processing and the time stamp acquired in the second processing exceeds a predetermined threshold value, performs reduction processing for reducing a load on the rendering processing.