Non-rectangular Frame Buffer Memory Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Non-rectangular displays, such as circular or elliptical shapes, continue to use rectangular frame buffers for storing pixel data, leading to inefficiencies in memory size and bandwidth usage, as they store unnecessary pixel data from rectangular displays.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a non-rectangular frame buffer that varies the number of memory locations per line to match the display shape, with a graphic data access system (GDAS) for address translation and memory operations, allowing only necessary pixel data for the non-rectangular display to be stored and accessed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rectangular frame buffer is used for non-rectangular displays, then compatibility with existing rectangular display systems is maintained, but memory size and bandwidth requirements increase unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The frame buffer is divided into multiple segments, each corresponding to a different region of the non-rectangular display. Each segment has a uniform number of memory locations that varies by region, allowing the buffer to efficiently store pixel data only for the visible non-rectangular area rather than the entire rectangular bounding box.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a segment dimension to the traditional rectangular frame buffer structure. By organizing memory locations into segments with varying lengths, the system transitions from a two-dimensional rectangular memory layout to a multi-dimensional structure that accommodates non-rectangular display shapes while maintaining systematic addressability.
2Device complexity
If a rectangular frame buffer is used for non-rectangular displays, then address translation complexity is reduced, but bandwidth requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The frame buffer is divided into multiple segments, each corresponding to a different region of the non-rectangular display. Each segment has a uniform number of memory locations that varies by region, allowing the buffer to efficiently store pixel data only for the visible non-rectangular area rather than the entire rectangular bounding box.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a translation table that maps rectangular frame buffer addresses to corresponding non-rectangular frame buffer addresses. This copying mechanism allows the system to maintain simple rectangular address spaces while translating to the optimized non-rectangular storage layout, reducing bandwidth requirements without sacrificing address translation simplicity.
3Ease of operation
If a rectangular frame buffer is used for non-rectangular displays, then memory access patterns remain simple, but memory size increases by approximately 21.5%
Solution Approach 1:
The frame buffer is divided into multiple segments, each corresponding to a different region of the non-rectangular display. Each segment has a uniform number of memory locations that varies by region, allowing the buffer to efficiently store pixel data only for the visible non-rectangular area rather than the entire rectangular bounding box.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of memory location count per line from uniform (rectangular) to variable (non-rectangular). By adjusting this parameter to match the display shape, the system reduces memory size by approximately 21.5% while maintaining simple sequential memory access patterns within each segment.
Data Source
AI summary
An address to perform a memory operation on a memory location in a rectangular frame buffer is received. A determination is made whether the received address identifies a memory location in a non-rectangular frame buffer corresponding to a memory location in the rectangular frame buffer. Based on the determination that the received address identifies the memory location in the non-rectangular buffer, the memory operation on the memory location in the non-rectangular buffer is performed based on the translated address. Based on the determination that the received address does not identify the memory location in the non-rectangular buffer, the memory operation in the non-rectangular frame buffer is not performed.