Frame Buffer Patents (Class 345/545)
  • Patent number: 8390637
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for frame memory access and a display driver using the same. The method is a data moving method for allowing a display driver integrated circuit built in a portrait style frame memory to be used in a landscape mode. The spirit of the method is to repeatedly read data from the portrait style frame memory to the shift register, and move the data on the shift register to put the data to the correct data latch to constitute complete scan line data. Therefore, the portrait style display driver integrated circuit may drive a landscape mode display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Orise Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Szu-Mien Wang, Dan-Chi Yang, Shih Chuan Huang
  • Patent number: 8384830
    Abstract: A method for buffering an alarm video sequence includes receiving input image frames from an input video stream comprising full image frames and differential image frames, storing the received input image frames, and generating an output alarm video sequence by combining at least one full image frame with the input image frames stored in the buffer. The full image frame may be inserted as a first image frame in the output alarm video sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Axis AB
    Inventor: Joacim Tullberg
  • Patent number: 8384726
    Abstract: Computer-implemented methods for selectively pre-rendering off-screen content for display before the content comes on-screen on a device are provided. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a request to display content on a device and dividing the content into a first displayable portion that is based on a size of a viewport of the device and a second displayable portion that is outside the viewport. The method also includes rendering and displaying the first displayable portion of content within the viewport, and selecting a subset of the second displayable portion of content for rendering off-screen based on a predetermined rule. Systems, graphical user interfaces, and machine-readable media are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: John Ralph Grabowski, Grace Hua Kloba
  • Patent number: 8384738
    Abstract: A set of buffers is made available on a system-wide basis to provide capabilities for robust presentation of windows. The buffers can include a frame buffer, a system off-screen buffer and a compositing buffer. Windows are analyzed to determine and implement the most time-and memory-efficient use of the available buffers to properly display the intended result. In some situations, applications write directly to the frame buffer. Clipping can be used to prevent occluded portions of windows from being displayed. In other situations, some data is written to the off-screen buffer and/or to one or more application buffers, and the compositing buffer is used to perform compositing operations. Thus, a device can provide a wide range of display capabilities, including window compositing, while minimizing costs in terms of memory usage and processing power. Such advantages are of particular use in mobile devices and other systems having limited resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Paul Mercer
  • Publication number: 20130038621
    Abstract: The present invention provides a display device with reduced power consumption and that reduces changes in luminance, and perceptibility of flicker, and a driving method thereof. A display device according to an exemplary embodiment comprises: a display panel configured to display a still image and a motion picture; a signal controller configured to control signals for driving the display panel; and a graphics processing unit configured to transmit input image data to the signal controller, wherein the signal controller comprises a frame memory configured to store the input image data, and the display panel is driven at a first frequency when the motion picture is displayed and the display panel is driven at a second frequency that is lower than the first frequency when the still image is displayed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yong-Jun CHOI, Jae-Won JEONG, Jae-Suk CHOI, Seung-Ho BAEK, Joo Seok YEOM, Young-Su HAN, Myeong-Su KIM, Yun-Jae KIM, Jin-Soo KIM, Seung Hwan MOON, Po-Yun PARK, Jae Wan PARK, Kwan-Young OH, Min Joo LEE, Jung Hwan CHO
  • Publication number: 20130033511
    Abstract: A technique for generating content for a stereo 3D display buffer having both stereo 3D graphic objects and non-stereo 3D graphic objects that may be utilized to render stereo 3D content onto one or more windows of a display. The technique incorporates content from stereo 3D application frame buffers into a composition tree that represents the graphic objects in each window displayed on a computing device. At each refresh cycle, the composition tree is traversed to generate content for a stereo 3D display buffer that is then used to draw one or more windows onto a display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2011
    Publication date: February 7, 2013
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: ANDREI BAIOURA, Reiner Fink, Deepali Bhagvat, Daniel Wood, Max McMullen, Mohamed Sadek, Ameet Chitre, Mary Luo, Alice Tang
  • Publication number: 20130033512
    Abstract: When a display target determination unit determines image data to be displayed, a reproduction control unit identifies the type of the image data to be displayed. The reproduction control unit divides the region of a display buffer according to the identified type. While an image display control unit displays an image, on a display device, by using image data stored in a spare buffer, a decoding execution unit decodes said image data and stores the decoded image data in a divided region of the display buffer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Publication date: February 7, 2013
    Applicant: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Masaki Takahashi, Yoshinobu Matono
  • Patent number: 8368694
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for rendering a plurality of images from a graphics scene in one rendering pass. Each image from the plurality of images may include or preclude certain scene objects and shading effects associated with the scene objects, as specified by a set of rules associated with a corresponding frame buffer that is configured to store the image. During the rendering pass, a ray-tracing application performs at least one complete ray casting operation, which is concluded according to the set of rules. At each stage in the ray casting operation, individual rules for each frame buffer determine whether results from that stage should be saved in the frame buffer. The plurality of images may represent different segments of a final rendered image, and may be combined arbitrarily in a compositing phase to generate the final rendered image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: AUTODESK, Inc
    Inventor: Justin Novosad
  • Patent number: 8368709
    Abstract: In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus comprising a data control line configured to comprise data for subsequent viewing on a display. Further, the apparatus comprises a refresh control line configured to update at least one pixel on a display; a frequency based selector coupled to the refresh control line; and a memory coupled to the frequency based selector and the data control line. The apparatus is configured to provide one or more signals to a pixel in a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation based at least in part on the refresh control line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventor: Juha Harri-Pekka Nurmi
  • Patent number: 8368691
    Abstract: A three-dimensional computer graphics rendering system allows a tile-based rendering system to operate with a reduced amount of storage required for tiled screen space geometry by using an untransformed display list to represent the screen's geometry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventor: John W. Howson
  • Publication number: 20130021357
    Abstract: Techniques are described to monitor a level of graphics processing activity and control power usage based on the level. When no graphics processing activity is detected for a period of time, then a timing controller for a display device is instructed to capture a current image and repeatedly display the captured image. The graphics processing devices can be powered down. When graphics processing activity is detected, the graphics processing devices are powered up and the components used to capture an image and display the captured image are powered down.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2012
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Inventors: Seh W. Kwa, Michael Calyer, Ravi Ranganathan, Narayan Biswal
  • Publication number: 20130021356
    Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for updating a bi-stable display includes a framebuffer for storing waveforms for each pixel individually. The system includes determining a current state of a pixel of the bi-stable display; determining a desired state of the pixel of the bi-stable display; and updating the pixel by applying a determined control signal to the pixel to drive the pixel from the current state to the final state. Updating each pixel occurs independently of the other pixels of the bi-stable display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Applicant: Ricoh Company Ltd.
    Inventors: John W. Barrus, Guotong Feng
  • Patent number: 8358317
    Abstract: An image display system for displaying a planar image on a curved viewing surface, such as a theater dome, with minimized image distortion. In order to display the image, a virtual surface, which is a representation of the curved viewing surface, is textured with the image using an angular distribution to thereby form a textured virtual image. The textured virtual image is then displayed onto the curved viewing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
    Inventor: Kenneth L. Carlson
  • Patent number: 8358314
    Abstract: A method and electronic device employing a method of reducing memory accesses during the readout of a scanline of a frame buffer is provided, which includes reading out a series of bits on the scanline corresponding to a series of regions of pixels of the scanline, entering a default pixel value for each pixel of a region if a corresponding bit is set, and entering a pixel value obtained from accessing the scanline for each pixel of the region if the corresponding bit is not set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth C. Dyke
  • Publication number: 20130009973
    Abstract: A development support apparatus and development support program are used to facilitate the development of a program executed by an image processing apparatus. A user selects a desired purpose from a displayed list that includes the purposes of the processing units. Accordingly, an explanatory screen of a sample unit corresponding to the selected purpose is displayed. When the user selects a link of a folder saving a program of the sample unit, the directory including the folder is displayed. When the image of the folder is dropped onto a screen displayed during an initial operation, the sample unit is executed. The sample unit includes one or more image processing modules (processing units). When the sample unit is executed, processing defined by each processing unit is executed on image data stored as a default, and a result thereof is displayed on a monitor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: OMRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro KOMATSU, Takashi IJIRI, Shinya SAWA, Shohei NAKAOKA
  • Publication number: 20130009975
    Abstract: A method and electronic device employing the method of processing a frame of graphics for display is provided that includes developing a frame in a first software frame processing stage following a first vertical blanking (VBL) heartbeat, issuing a command indicating the first stage is complete, and performing a final software frame processing stage without waiting for a subsequent VBL heartbeat. The method may alternatively include performing the final software frame processing stage regardless as to whether a target framebuffer is available, performing all but final hardware frame processing stages regardless as to whether the target framebuffer is in use, and performing the final hardware processing stage if the target framebuffer is not in use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Ian Hendry, Jeffry Gonion, Jeremy Sandmel
  • Publication number: 20130009974
    Abstract: Apparatus including: a controller; a display panel; a first frame memory configured to load a frame of data to the display panel during insertion of a blank frame at the display panel and configured to be filled by a frame of data from the controller, wherein the controller is configured to insert blank frames between frames of data displayed on the display panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Inventors: Juha Harri-Pekka Nurmi, Kaj Saarinen, Tero Rautanen
  • Patent number: 8339409
    Abstract: A tile-based graphics system, and method of operation of such a system, are provided for generating graphics data for a frame comprising a plurality of tiles. Graphics processing circuitry is provided which is arranged to be switched between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation. In the first mode of operation, the graphics processing circuitry receives the plurality of graphics primitives for the frame, and performs a binning operation to determine, for each of the plurality of tiles, a tile list identifying the graphics primitives which intersect that tile. In the second mode of operation, the graphics processing circuitry receives the tile list for an allocated tile, and performs a rasterization operation to generate the graphics data for the allocated tile dependent on the tile list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: ARM Limited
    Inventor: David Robert Shreiner
  • Patent number: 8334857
    Abstract: A method and system are implemented to dynamically control a display refresh rate. Specifically, one embodiment of the present invention sets forth a method, which comprises the steps of driving a display device at a first refresh rate over a period of time, measuring a number of first content frames with changes in content out of a plurality of content frames that are generated over the period of time for the display device, and driving the display device at a second refresh rate if the number of the first content frames meets a first condition associated with a first threshold reference, and optionally driving the display device at a third refresh rate if the number of first content frames meets a second condition associated with a second threshold reference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Ogrinc, Brett T. Hannigan, David Wyatt
  • Patent number: 8334881
    Abstract: A image-driving method for a display includes receiving an image frame and registering at least a part of the image frame, wherein the image frame is divided into a prior-part frame and a post-part frame; respectively conducting a first luminance adjustment on the prior-part frame and the post-part frame so as to take the adjustment results as a first part of a first image frame and a first part of a second image frame; filling the previous received image frame after a second luminance processing into a second part of the first image frame; filling the presently received image frame after a second luminance processing into a second part of the second image frame; outputting the complete first image frame and the complete second image frame for successive displaying.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: I-Feng Lin, Yu-Tsung Hu
  • Publication number: 20120306901
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems and methods for handling portrait mode oriented display surfaces without requiring expensive hardware in the display sub-system are disclosed. For example, an apparatus is disclosed such that the rendering of graphics data to the portrait mode display surfaces is redirected at rendering time such that there is no need for adding complicated hardware in the display part of the graphics adapter in order to handle conventional displays—all of which have no circuitry to deal with data natively stored in a portrait mode surface. Additionally, an apparatus to handle direct surface access of a surface through a surface lock which has already been rotated is already described. This can either be done by copying of surface data or by an optimized proposed apparatus which eliminates this copy. Other implementations are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Inventor: Bimal Poddar
  • Patent number: 8314809
    Abstract: Computer-implemented methods for selectively pre-rendering off-screen content for display before the content comes on-screen on a device are provided. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a request to display content on a device and dividing the content into a first displayable portion that is based on a size of a viewport of the device and a second displayable portion that is outside the viewport. The method also includes rendering and displaying the first displayable portion of content within the viewport, and selecting a subset of the second displayable portion of content for rendering off-screen based on a predetermined rule. Systems, graphical user interfaces, and machine-readable media are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: John Ralph Grabowski, Grace Hua Kloba
  • Patent number: 8310494
    Abstract: A method and electronic device employing the method of processing a frame of graphics for display is provided that includes developing a frame in a first software frame processing stage following a first vertical blanking (VBL) heartbeat, issuing a command indicating the first stage is complete, and performing a final software frame processing stage without waiting for a subsequent VBL heartbeat. The method may alternatively include performing the final software frame processing stage regardless as to whether a target framebuffer is available, performing all but final hardware frame processing stages regardless as to whether the target framebuffer is in use, and performing the final hardware processing stage if the target framebuffer is not in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ian Hendry, Jeffry Gonion, Jeremy Sandmel
  • Publication number: 20120274648
    Abstract: There is provided a memory-effect display device including a memory-effect display, a data buffer unit that stores input data to be displayed on the memory-effect display, a buffer control unit that controls only some scan line data of input data of each frame to be stored in the data buffer unit, and a display control unit that controls the input data stored in the data buffer unit to be displayed at respective scan lines of the memory-effect display, wherein the display control unit controls only the some scan line data on the memory-effect display according to information of scan lines where the input data stored in the data buffer unit are to be assigned, and scan lines where the some scan line data are not assigned are maintained as they were displayed based on frame data before frame data containing the some scan line data are input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: INTELLECTUAL DISCOVERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hyun Ha Hwang, Seung Gon Kang, Heon Kyu Kim
  • Patent number: 8300699
    Abstract: A system, method and computer-readable medium for reducing the required throughput in an ultra-wideband system is provided. A temporal sub-sampling routine limits the number of frames, or portions thereof, to be transmitted to a sink over an RF link. The temporal sub-sampling routine may have a fixed, or static, sub-sampling rate that specifies the rate at which frames are discarded. In accordance with another embodiment, an automatic temporal sub-sampling mechanism is provided. Additionally, a tile copying mechanism may be implemented for reducing the throughput of the RF link. A WDV subsystem may include an interface to an external frame buffer that facilitates the temporal sub-sampling and tile copy routines disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Fred S. Stivers, Felix C. Fernandes, Sidney B. Schrum, Jr., Matthew B. Shoemake
  • Patent number: 8295612
    Abstract: Change image detecting devices and methods are disclosed. In one example, a determination unit partially compares a first image and a reference image and determines whether there is a change therebetween. If the determination unit determines no change between the first image and the reference image, the change image detecting unit selects a second image, which is temporally later than the first image and stored in a first storing unit, as a new image to be processed and the determination unit partially compares the second image and the reference image at a different position than previously compared and determines whether there is a change between the second image and the reference image. If the determination unit determines change between the first image and the reference image, a change image detecting unit detects the first image stored in the first storing unit as the change image, and stores the first image in the second storing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Issei Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 8291013
    Abstract: A communication apparatus including: a communicating portion communicable with a server device storing feed information including content informations; a feed-information obtaining portion which obtains the feed information; a display portion which displays informations; a storage portion which stores informations; an updated-date-and-time extracting portion which extracts, from the feed information, an updated date and time indicating a date and time at which information constituted by at least part of the feed information has been updated; an updated-date-and-time storing portion which stores, into the storage portion, the updated date and time and the information constituted by at least part of the feed information in association with each other; and a display controller which displays at least part of the content information(s) corresponding to the information constituted by at least part of the feed information associated by the updated-date-and-time storing portion in order of the updated date and time
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomohiro Ito
  • Publication number: 20120256934
    Abstract: A decoding execution unit decodes image data encoded with a resolution higher than that of a display device. A display buffer stores image data decoded by the decoding execution unit. A standby buffer stores image data decoded by the decoding execution unit while the image data stored in the display buffer is being displayed. A reduced image buffer stores image data produced by reducing the entirety of the image data. An image display control unit switches from the image data stored in the display buffer to the image data stored in the standby buffer if the decoding of the image data by the decoding execution unit is completed, and enlarges the image in the reduced image buffer and stores the enlarged image in the display buffer if the decoding of the image data by the decoding execution unit is not completed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Hidehiko Morisada, Akitsugu Komiyama, Hiromasa Ohkubo
  • Patent number: 8279232
    Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for updating a bi-stable display includes a framebuffer for storing waveforms for each pixel individually. The system includes determining a current state of a pixel of the bi-stable display; determining a desired state of the pixel of the bi-stable display; and updating the pixel by applying a determined control signal to the pixel to drive the pixel from the current state to the final state. Updating each pixel occurs independently of the other pixels of the bi-stable display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: John W. Barrus, Guotong Feng
  • Patent number: 8274501
    Abstract: Techniques are described to monitor a level of graphics processing activity and control power usage based on the level. When no graphics processing activity is detected for a period of time, then a timing controller for a display device is instructed to capture a current image and repeatedly display the captured image. The graphics processing devices can be powered down. When graphics processing activity is detected, the graphics processing devices are powered up and the components used to capture an image and display the captured image are powered down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Seh W. Kwa, Michael Calyer, Ravi Ranganathan, Narayan Biswal
  • Publication number: 20120236015
    Abstract: Image display systems include a first memory, a memory controller and a device driver. The controller is configured to generate an interrupt signal in response to a command to write first image data into a first range of addresses within the first memory, which at least partially overlaps with a reference range of addresses. The device driver is configured to read the first image data from the first memory in response to the interrupt signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Inventor: Yong-Bae Song
  • Publication number: 20120229485
    Abstract: A method and system for generating strokes in real-time on an electronic paper display. A display device receives the stroke input, which is converted to binary code by a digitizer. A rendering engine renders the high-resolution stroke data in non-antialiased form to an ink buffer. The rendering engine then updates pixels based on the color or gray level of the background (unlinked) pixel and the amount of ink covering the pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2011
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Bradley J. Rhodes, Kurt W. Piersol
  • Patent number: 8259123
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus processes compression encoded data of a moving picture and outputs image data divided into a plurality of frames for displaying of the moving picture on a display device. A host CPU outputs a decoding command and a drawing command separately from each other. The decoding process on the compression encoded data can be performed in an independent manner from the drawing process of reflecting the image data, which are the decoding results, on the display object. At this time, a display control section executes the drawing process based on the image data stored in a ring buffer in accordance with the drawing command. Therefore, the host CPU can freely control timings at which the moving pictures are displayed on the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Noriyuki Funakubo
  • Patent number: 8259120
    Abstract: A system and method for resolving the blank screen issue when switching between graphics processing units. The system and method provide a graphics adapter LCD timing controller (Tcon) with a frame buffer specifically dedicated to storing previously presented screen data for use when switching graphic processing units. The system further includes a protocol comparator unit within a serial-to-parallel converter and a memory controller coupled to the protocol comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Chin-Jui Liu, Wei-Kuang Chu
  • Patent number: 8248387
    Abstract: The efficient buffering of image data for a plurality of clients is disclosed. One disclosed embodiment comprises an optical touch-sensitive device configured to receive changed portions of a frame of data from a touch data acquisition system comprising a touch-sensitive display, to store the changed portions of the frame of data in a common data frame buffer, and to receive a bitmap header from the touch data acquisition system that specifies locations of the changed portions of the frame of data and store the bitmap header in each of a plurality of client header buffers. Clients can first obtain the bitmap header from buffers corresponding to those clients, and then obtain the changed portions of the frame of data from the common data frame buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Raju Ramanathan
  • Publication number: 20120206467
    Abstract: A driving method adapted to a bistable display including a display panel is provided. The driving method includes following steps. A first area data and a second area data respectively received are sequentially stored in a first queue and a second queue, respectively. A first area image corresponding to the first area data and a second area image corresponding to the second area data are sequentially calculated. The first area image is displayed on the display panel during a first frame period of a first period, and the second area image is displayed on the display panel during a second first frame period of the first period. After the first period, the first area image on the display panel is in a stable state. After a summation time of first period and the second frame period, the second area image on the display panel is in a stable state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2011
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: NOVATEK MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: Chien-Chia Shih, Gin-Yen Lee
  • Patent number: 8245152
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to accelerate scrolling for buffered windows. In one aspect of the invention, a method to scroll a buffered window on a data processing system includes: determining a second region of a second pixel image of a window in a frame buffer, which corresponds to a first region of a first pixel image of the window buffered in a window buffer that is scrolled from a first position to a second position in the first pixel image of the window in the window buffer; and scrolling the second region in the frame buffer to synchronize the second pixel image in the frame buffer with the first pixel image in the window buffer. In one example according to this aspect, the second region in the frame buffer is scrolled using graphics hardware; the frame buffer is located inside a video memory under control of the graphics hardware.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ralph T. Brunner, Haroon Sheikh, Peter Graffagnino
  • Patent number: 8237733
    Abstract: A page transition file creation system and a method for creating a page transition file in a file format suitable for displaying transitions quickly on an electronic paper display. The page transition file creation system creates a page transition file with page transition blocks representing transition between two or more pages. A page transition display system and uses page transition files to display page transitions. The page transition display system determines the appropriate page transition file and waveform lookup table for displaying page transition. The page transition display system uses the determined page transition file and waveform lookup table for displaying the transition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Bradley J. Rhodes
  • Publication number: 20120194532
    Abstract: A control method for bi-stable displaying is provided, using queues for storing coordinates to achieve pipeline parallel processing on display data, thereby increasing display speed. In a preceding stage of the display process, because a plurality of queues may be used for temporarily storing part of the display data which is then reconstructed into complete display data to update a current frame buffer, comparing pixel data and generating driving data can be simultaneously preformed upon a plurality of line segments. Moreover, in a succeeding stage of the display process, a similar process may be performed to update a previous frame buffer, so access time can be reduced and errors caused by overlapping image blocks can also be avoided. Furthermore, the method may be also applied to a timing controller and a bi-stable display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: NOVATEK MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: Chien-Chia Shih, Gin-Yen Lee
  • Publication number: 20120194533
    Abstract: A portable electronic device and an image communication method thereof are provided. The portable electronic device includes a display, a processing module and a memory. The processing module provides frame data of a corresponding frame for the display to show, enables the portable electronic device to emulate a virtual storage device under a communication link, and produces image data compliant with a file format according to the frame data of the frame. The memory stores the image data, which can be read through the communication link. The processing module provides a frame data update for the display to show and updates the image data according to the frame data update.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: HTC Corporation
    Inventor: Ming-Yu Chen
  • Publication number: 20120188460
    Abstract: The video output system in a computer system reads pixel information from a frame buffer to generate a video output signal. However, the video output system must often compete with other memory users in order to access a frame buffer in a shared memory system. When memory bandwidth resources are limited, the performance of a computer system will suffer. To reduce the performance drop, a dynamic color mode switching system has been introduced. The dynamic color mode switching system detects when memory bandwidth resources are limited and then instructs the video output system to switch to a color mode that reduces the amount of reads from the memory system without any user intervention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: nComputing Inc.
    Inventors: Franco Eulogio Mau, Sangyong Park, Anita Chowdhry
  • Patent number: 8228339
    Abstract: A graphics animation and compositing operations framework has a layer tree for interfacing with the application and a render tree for interfacing with a render engine. Layers in the layer tree can be content, windows, views, video, images, text, media, or other types of objects for an application's user interface. The application commits state changes to the layers of the layer tree. The application does not need to include explicit code for animating the changes to the layers. Instead, an animation is determined for animating the change in state by the framework which can define a set of predetermined animations based on motion, visibility, and transition. The determined animation is explicitly applied to the affected layers in the render tree. A render engine renders from the render tree into a frame buffer. Portions of the render tree changing relative to prior versions can be tracked to improve resource management.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ralph Brunner, John Harper, Peter N. Graffagnino
  • Patent number: 8223161
    Abstract: An image generation apparatus provides correction for color offsets. Color offsets may be caused by misalignments in laser diodes or optics assemblies in a laser projector. The offsets may be measured during or after manufacture of the laser projector. An image buffer is responsive to the offset data to translate each color plane separately. The image buffer may include separately addressable portions for each color. Further, variable delay elements on the output of the image buffer may provide color offset correction. Interpolation provides further offset correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Microvision, Inc.
    Inventors: Margaret K. Brown, Mark O. Freeman, Mark Champion, Shawn M. Swilley, Maciej A. Jakuc
  • Publication number: 20120176390
    Abstract: Modification messages may be filtered to reduce the load on a message channel between a render cache and a frame buffer compression. A group of cache lines may be checked to see whether both a subspan request hits an unlit bit and a modify message was already sent. If so, the modification message may be filtered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2011
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Inventor: Prasoonkumar Surti
  • Publication number: 20120169752
    Abstract: A scanning type image display apparatus including a light source, a frame buffer, a scanning mirror, a drive controller which outputs a drive signal to the scanning mirror, and a display controller which reads out pixel data from the frame buffer, generates display data for modulating an intensity of a laser beam using the readout pixel data, and causes the light source to emit an intensity-modulated laser beam based on the display data. The display controller calculates a scanning position of the laser beam on the display screen by the scanning mirror based on information relating to the drive signal inputted from the drive controller, reads out pixel data corresponding to the calculated scanning position on the display screen by executing a burst access to the frame buffer, and implements interpolation to generate the display data corresponding to the scanning position of the laser beam on the display screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Inventor: Akira Kurozuka
  • Publication number: 20120169711
    Abstract: In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, a method is disclosed. A first image display mode is provided at a display of an apparatus. The first image display mode includes mapping first data from a display frame memory. The first data corresponds to the first image display mode. A second image display mode is provided at the display. The second image display mode includes mapping second data from the display frame memory. The second data corresponds to the second image display mode. The first image display mode is switched to the second image display mode when only a portion of the second data is detected at the display frame memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2011
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Inventors: Jani E. Penttila, Juha H-P Nurmi
  • Patent number: 8212830
    Abstract: An image converter converts an image rendered at a given vertical synchronous frequency into an image compatible with the specification of a display. A frame memory holds the image converted by the image converter by switching a plurality of buffers. A display controller selects one of the buffers in accordance with the vertical synchronous frequency of the display, and scans out the image from the frame memory accordingly. A switch instruction issuing unit issues a frame buffer switch instruction for designating a frame buffer to scan out from subsequently, in synchronization with the vertical synchronous frequency of the display, instead of immediately after the execution of an image converting process by the image converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Toru Ogiso
  • Publication number: 20120162238
    Abstract: In embodiments of display region refresh, a display panel has addressable display regions that display at different display refresh rates. Display data is buffered to update the addressable display regions, and subsequent display data is received to further update the addressable display regions. A display controller can determine display update deltas that indicate pending display updates based on a comparison of the display data to the subsequent display data. A first addressable display region can then be refreshed at display refresh rate based on a first display update delta that corresponds to the first addressable display region, and a second addressable display region can be refreshed at a different display refresh rate based on a second display update delta that corresponds to the second addressable display region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Rod G. Fleck, Derek Leslie Knee
  • Patent number: RE43565
    Abstract: A graphics system stores graphics data in a dynamic-random-access memory (DRAM) and in a faster static random-access memory (SRAM). A refresh controller reads pixel data from a frame buffer that is usually in the faster SRAM, while one or more video overlay engines read graphics objects from the DRAM. However, large frame buffers may be partially stored in the DRAM. Some of the graphics data read by the video overlay engine may reside in the SRAM. A dual-layer arbiter receives requests from the refresh controller and the overlay engines for access to the SRAM and DRAM. When two requestors request the same memory device, the dual-layer arbiter arbitrates access. However, often the requests are to different memory devices and the dual-layer arbiter can pass the requests through without delay, since separate buses to the DRAM and SRAM can be used simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC
    Inventor: Hin Kwai Lee
  • Patent number: RE44051
    Abstract: A data bus line control circuit prevents a problem of a data access operation on a global data bus (GDB) line although two blocks are simultaneously selected. The data bus line control circuit includes: a global data bus line which is arranged between memory units adjacent to each other as two pairs, and transmits a data from a local data bus line positioned between adjacent sub blocks; and transmission means which is connected between the local data bus line and the global data bus line, and transmits bit line signals of two sub blocks to one pair of global data bus lines different from each other through the local data bus line, when the two sub blocks are simultaneously selected by a block isolation selection signal. As a result, a circuit arrangement and a layout design become simplified, and two operations of 8K refresh and 4K refresh are possible in one chip, therefore, two kinds of effects can be achieved by one chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: 658868 N.B. Inc.
    Inventor: Tae Yun Kim