Dynamic Display Buffer Sizing for Overscan Compensation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Modern pixelated display devices, such as LCDs, often overscan or do not overscan, leading to sub-optimal display outputs due to applications' uncertainty about the display device's behavior, resulting in either black borders or clipped content.

Innovation Solution

A method to dynamically set an executing application's display buffer size based on the display device's extent and mode, allowing the application to choose from three modes: ignoring overscan, pre-compensating, or using the full display extent while ensuring critical content is not clipped, by determining the display device's characteristics and specifying the display buffer size accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If an application pre-compensates for overscanning by scaling output to a smaller size, then black borders are prevented when overscanning occurs, but unnecessary black borders appear when the display device does not overscan

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay output accuracyVSAvoiddisplay buffer utilization
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the display buffer size and content placement strategy based on the detected overscan behavior of the display device. The application transitions from static pre-compensation to adaptive rendering, where the display parameters are modified in real-time based on feedback about the actual display device characteristics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the display buffer parameters (size, content placement) based on the detected overscan mode of the display device. When overscanning is detected, the system adjusts the buffer to match the visible area; when not overscanning, it uses the full buffer extent, thereby optimizing display output for each scenario.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Area of stationary object

If an application generates output matching the display device's full extent, then full display area is utilized when no overscanning occurs, but content clipping occurs when the display device overscans

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay buffer sizeVSAvoidcontent visibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the display buffer size and content placement strategy based on the detected overscan behavior of the display device. The application transitions from static pre-compensation to adaptive rendering, where the display parameters are modified in real-time based on feedback about the actual display device characteristics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the display buffer parameters (size, content placement) based on the detected overscan mode of the display device. When overscanning is detected, the system adjusts the buffer to match the visible area; when not overscanning, it uses the full buffer extent, thereby optimizing display output for each scenario.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If applications assume uncertain display device behavior, then compatibility across different devices is maintained, but display performance becomes sub-optimal

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice compatibilityVSAvoiddisplay rendering efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where the application detects whether the display device overscans by analyzing the relationship between the generated output and the actual displayed content. Based on this feedback, the application adjusts its rendering strategy to optimize performance for the specific display device behavior, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2798453B1Overscan support
Publication Date: 2019.10.02 APPLE INC
  • EP2798453B1 patent drawingFigure 1~5
  • EP2798453B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2798453B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3C

AI summary

Systems, methods, and computer readable media for dynamically setting an executing application's display buffer size are described. To ameliorate display device overscan operations, the size of an executing application's display buffer may be set based on the display device's extent and a display mode. In addition, contents of the executing application's display buffer may be operated on as they are moved to a frame buffer based on the display mode. In one mode, for example, display buffer contents may be scaled before being placed into the frame buffer. In another mode, a black border may be placed around display buffer contents as it is placed into the frame buffer. In yet another mode, display buffer contents may be copied into the frame buffer without further processing.