Display controller permitting connection of multiple displays with a single video cable

• US 20040080482A1
• Filed: 10/29/2002
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Magendanz, C. L., Yee, Dawson, Westerinen, William J., Powell, William Chambers III
• Granted Patent: US 7,136,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/047 using display data channel standard [DDC] communication

Abstract

A display controller that permits more than one display to be operated by a single cable and a single display adapter. The display controller provides custom EDID information to a computer to which it is attached. The custom EDID information may include information about the single virtual display surface provided by all displays, and may include information about each of the individual monitors or displays, including the location of the individual displays in the single composite display surface. The single composite display surface may be utilized by computers that are not capable of recognizing the EDID for the multiple display system. If the computer does recognize the EDID for the multiple display system, the operating system of the computer and/or applications running on the computer may understand and utilize the heterogeneous nature of the display surface and may optimize display quality and presentation for a user.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a computer;

a display adapter associated with the computer;

a plurality of displays; and

a display controller connected to the monitors and the display adapter and being configured to split a frame received from the display adapter among the plurality of displays.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the display controller is connected to the display adapter by a single cable.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the cable is a video graphics array (VGA) or a digital video interactive (DVI) cable.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the display adapter comprises a single video cable plug, and wherein the display controller is connected to the display adapter via the single video plug.

5. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for carrying out a method, the method comprising:

receiving information from a display controller connected to a plurality of displays that form a combined display surface, the information including the location of each of the plurality of displays in the combined display surface;

exposing portions of memory representing each of the plurality of displays in accordance with the information;

receiving image data for each portion of memory; and

combining the image data for each portion of memory to form a frame of image data.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the image data is combined in a single display adapter.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 5 having further computer-executable instructions comprising transmitting the frame of image data to the display controller.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the single frame of image data is transmitted via a single cable.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the single cable is a video graphics array (VGA) or a digital video interactive (DVI) cable.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the display adapter comprises a single video cable plug, and wherein single frame of image data is transmitted via the single video plug.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 6 having further computer-executable instructions comprising dividing the single frame into a plurality of frames at the display controller and according to the information, and providing the plurality of frames to the respective displays.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 having further computer-executable instructions for rotating at least one of the frames prior to providing the frame.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions comprising:

sending information to a computer connected to a plurality of displays that form a combined display surface, the information including the location of each of the plurality of displays in the combined display surface;

receiving a frame of image data from the computer, the frame of image data being created according to the information;

dividing the single frame into a plurality of frames at the display controller and according to the information; and

providing the plurality of frames to the respective displays.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 having further computer-executable instructions for rotating at least one of the frames prior to providing the frame.

15. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure, comprising:

a first data field containing first information about a plurality of displays that form a combined display surface, the first information including information about the location of each of the plurality of displays in the combined display surface and the resolution of each of the plurality of displays; and

a second data field containing second information about the plurality of displays, the second information including resolution of the combined display surface.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the data structure comprises an Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) for the plurality of displays.

17. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions comprising:

in a computer connected to a plurality of displays that form a combined display surface, receiving information regarding the plurality of displays including;

first information about the plurality of displays, the first information including information about the location of each of the plurality of displays in the combined display surface and the resolution of each of the plurality of displays; and

second information about the plurality of displays, the second information including resolution of the combined display surface;

if the computer is aware of the first information, configuring video memory for the computer to expose portions of memory representing each of the plurality of displays in accordance with the first information; and

if the computer is not aware of the first information, configuring video memory for the computer in accordance with the second information to expose memory that represents the combined display surface.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein exposing portions of memory representing each of the plurality of displays in accordance with the first information comprises interleaving the separate portions of memory so that the separate portions of memory represent a virtual frame of image data.

19. A monitor, comprising:

a first panel arranged so that the first panel scans horizontally; and

a second panel arranged adjacent the first panel, and arranged so that it scans vertically, the first panel and the second panel forming a combined display surface.

20. The monitor of claim 19, further comprising:

a display controller connected to the monitor and configured to split a frame received from a display adapter into first and second subframes for the first and second panels, respectively.

21. The monitor of claim 19, wherein the display controller is configured to rotate one of the subframes.