Multi-screen Synthesizing Display Apparatus Reducing CPU Overhead
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional display technologies require high bandwidth and processing resources for frequent updates of windows on display terminals, especially in embedded systems with limited resources, due to unnecessary rewriting of display data into video memory during window operations like opening, closing, and overlapping.
Innovation Solution
Mapping the physical display terminal into multiple logical screens, where windows are written into different logical screens and synthesized based on overlapping rules, reducing the need for repeated data writing and reading, and using window registers with priority levels to manage overlapping windows efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If display data is frequently rewritten into video memory during window operations, then window display functionality is achieved, but memory bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the physical display terminal into multiple logical screens (first logical screen, second logical screen, etc.), each capable of displaying different windows independently. This segmentation allows window operations to be handled separately without requiring frequent rewriting of the entire display data into video memory, thus reducing memory bandwidth consumption while maintaining full window display functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension by mapping windows to multiple logical screens rather than a single physical screen. This dimensional transformation enables independent management of display data for different windows, allowing the system to reduce unnecessary data rewriting operations and lower memory bandwidth requirements while achieving the same display objectives.
2Adaptability or versatility
If display data is frequently rewritten into video memory during window operations, then window updating is achieved, but CPU processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the display into multiple logical screens, the patent enables independent window management where each window's display data is maintained separately. This reduces the frequency and scope of CPU intervention for data rewriting operations, thereby lowering CPU processing overhead while preserving full window updating capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of display data in different logical screens corresponding to different windows. Instead of repeatedly rewriting the same display data into video memory during window operations, the system uses these pre-created copies, significantly reducing CPU processing overhead while maintaining efficient window updating.
3Reliability
If all display data is read out from video memory during window operations, then complete display update is achieved, but memory bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by reading display data selectively from specific logical screens corresponding to the windows being updated, rather than reading all display data from video memory. This targeted approach ensures complete display update for affected regions while significantly reducing overall memory bandwidth consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the necessary display data from the appropriate logical screens for window updates, rather than reading the entire video memory content. This extraction approach maintains display update completeness for the affected windows while minimizing memory bandwidth consumption by avoiding unnecessary data transfers.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-screen synthesizing apparatus and method have been disclosed by the present invention. Display data of windows required to be displayed on the display terminal are mapped onto at least one logical screen by storing data in a video memory. Each of the windows is correlated with a set of window registers, and the location coordinates of the window and the identification of the corresponding logical screen are stored into the window register set when displaying the windows, the window register set having the highest priority level are found out, based on the location coordinates of the current scanning pixel, as the selected window register. The display data corresponding to the current pixel are read out from the logical screen corresponding to the selected window register and output to the display terminal. According to the present invention, the display data are not necessary to be written repeatedly during the switching operations of windows, thus the overhead for the CPU to process the display task can be reduced without increasing the occupied bandwidth. Thereby the display efficiency of various electronic devices having display ability can be improved and the display cost can be reduced.