Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphic processing system – Plural graphics processors
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-05
2004-06-08
Bella, Matthew C (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphic processing system
Plural graphics processors
C345S503000, C345S505000, C345S506000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06747655
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a display system using a plurality of graphics adapters and, more particularly to an image display device adopting an image dividing method which demonstrates excellent performance and great flexibility.
2. Description of the Related Art
A high resolution display which showed a slow progress with respect to a CRT display has been making rapid progress with introductions of new technologies such as liquid crystal liquid. To be more specific, the liquid crystal display (LCD) can achieve a high resolution more easily compared to the CRT display by microfabricating it. With respect to this LCD, high definition (ultra-high resolution) displays with a very high resolution such as QXGA (Quad Extended Graphics Array) (2048×1536 dots), QSXGA (Quad Super Extended Graphics Array) (2560×2048 dots), and QUXGA (Quad Ultra Extended Graphics Array) (3200×2400 dots) have been put to practical use by making a panel itself into a high definition one.
On the other hand, a device called a graphics adapter for performing image creation and the like to display an image on a display is provided in a personal computer (PC). A memory for writing and storing the image to be displayed on the display is provided in the graphics adapter, and this memory is called a frame buffer.
As a technique for performing a high resolution display, there has been one to divide a screen to display an image using a plurality of graphics adapters. Specifically, this technique has a feature in that instead of developing a special graphics adapter having a large frame buffer, using an ordinary graphic adapters, a screen is divided into two to four sections, one graphics adapter is assigned to the corresponding section, and a corresponding image is displayed. These techniques are generally called ‘Partitioning Method’ or ‘Tiling Method.’
FIG. 8
is a diagram for explaining a conventional screen dividing method. As for implementation, it is constructed that Four graphics adapters
201
to
204
are installed at an adapter slot of PC or a work station (WS), and each of the graphics adapter
201
to
204
is assigned to corresponding one of sub-screens that are divided areas of the screen
205
,
205
a
to
205
d
. To be more specific, each of the graphics adapters
201
to
204
is allowed to be assigned symmetrically to the corresponding one of the divided areas having the same shape, and the screen
205
is divided crosswise. The sub-screens
205
a
to
205
d
, each of which is the divided area, are driven so as to create an image by the corresponding graphics adapters
201
to
204
.
205
a
to
205
d
, the divided areas of the screen
205
, have a size, which is a proper scale for the graphics adapters
201
to
204
to create an image.
With respect to a size of the whole screen of the foregoing ultra-high resolution display, the ones having aspect ratios, that is, ratios of the length of the screen to the width thereof 4:3 or 5:4, such as QXGA (2048×1536 dots) and QSXGA (2560×2048 dots), have been the main stream. However, with the diffusion of high definition televisions (HDTV) (and the like), displays and graphics adapters, which have a new aspect ratio such as an aspect ratio in which 1920 dots in the horizontal direction and 1200 dots in the vertical direction are arranged, come to appear. When this display for use in the HDTV is displayed using a plurality of graphics adapters for a high resolution by the screen dividing method, it is impossible to effectively use a frame buffer in each graphics adapter, because a size of whole screen is not equal to an integral multiple of a size of the sub-screen, which is a proper scale for one graphics adapter to create an image.
FIG. 9
is a diagram for explaining the case where a size of the sub-screen, which is a proper scale for one graphics adapter to create an image, is not equal to an integral multiple of a size of the whole screen. In
FIG. 9
, illustrated is a case where four graphics adapters, each of which includes 1280 dots horizontally and 1024 dots vertically, are used, and an image is displayed on a display (portion indicated by slanted lines) including 1920 dots horizontally and 1200 dots vertically. In this case, since the size of the display is larger than that of one graphics adapter, in other words, since one graphics adapter is narrower than the display (portions indicated by slated lines) both by length and by width, four graphics adapters are necessary as shown in FIG.
9
. For this reason, as can be understood from
FIG. 9
, a useless memory area other than the portion indicated by slanted lines is very large, and hence it was impossible to effectively use the system.
Work stations comprising only one extension slot showing a fast transfer rate and a large bus width in addition to a standard slot can be recently found. In these work stations, for example, one high speed graphics adapter using AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) and graphics adapters using a PCI bus (Peripheral Component Interconnect bus) bus are allowed to be mixedly present. When it is intended to use a plurality of graphics adapters, the graphics adapters using the PCI bus are used in many cases for the reason that as to the AGP, only one port can be used for the system. However, though it is tried to increase a processing speed by inserting one graphics adapter among the four graphics adapters in the extension slot, the processing speed cannot be increased because the processing speed is ruled by other three graphics adapters. Accordingly, it is impossible to improve performance of the whole of the system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is invented to solve the above-described technical problems. The object of the present invention is to provide a monitor system adopting an excellent screen dividing method from a viewpoint of performance and flexibility in a display system using a plural of graphics adapters.
Another object of the present invention is to effectively use a frame buffer of a graphics adapter by reducing a useless memory area, even when an aspect ratio of the graphics adapter and an aspect ratio of a display differ from each other.
To achieve the foregoing object, in the monitor system of the present invention, when screens having different aspect ratios are supported by an existing graphics adapter or when a large screen is supported by a plurality of graphics adapters, an area for which each of graphics adapters can create an image (develop) is divided furthermore into a plurality of divided areas, image data divided by each graphics adapter in accordance with a specified assignment is developed, and the developed image data is reconstructed on a display side. Thus, loads are distributed to each graphics adapter. Therefore, the monitor system to which the present invention is applied comprises a display device having a screen for displaying an image, in which its display area is virtually divided into a plurality of divided areas; and a plurality of graphics adapters, each of which develops image data for corresponding one of the divided areas, wherein each divided area of the screen in the display device is obtained by further dividing an area for which one graphics adapter can create an image.
In such construction, the area for which each graphics adapter can create an image can be characterized by making it smaller than an area that can be displayed by the screen. The display device reconstructs a screen from the image data output from the graphics adapters based on assignment information for the respective divided areas. With such construction, a correct picture can be displayed from divided image data assigned based on characteristics of an application and performance of the system and the graphics adapter.
Furthermore, in the monitor system of the present invention, a high performance graphics adapter is assigned to a divided area having a heavy load on the screen. Thus, it is preferable that performance of the whole of the system can
Kubota Tetsu
Ono Makoto
Bella Matthew C
F. Chau & Associates LLC
International Business Machines - Corporation
Monestime Mackly
Trepp Robert M.
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