Connecting multiple monitors to a computer system

• US 20060061516A1
• Filed: 09/23/2004
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Stelter, Wesley H., Campbell, Robert G., Shintaku, Larry
• Application Number:
  US10/948,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20060061516A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/1.100
• 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 3/2088 with use of a plurality of processors, each processor controlling a number of individual elements of the matrix

Abstract

Techniques are provided for connecting multiple monitors to a computer system. In an embodiment, N monitors are connected in a daisy-chain manner and constitute a virtual monitor, which the computer system considers as the only monitor in the system. The last monitor, e.g., the Nth monitor reports its display capability to the (N−1)th monitor, which aggregates its capability and the capability of the Nth monitor to the (N−2)th monitor. The (N−2)th monitor aggregates its capability and the capability of the (N−1)th and Nth monitor to the (N−3)th monitor, etc., until the first monitor in the chain aggregates the capability of all monitors in the chain, and reports this Total Capability of the virtual monitor to the computer system. When displaying information, the computer system provides the display information to the first monitor, which displays what it is responsible for, and passes on the rest of the information to the second monitor. The second monitor displays what it is responsible for, and passes the rest of the information to the third monitor, and so on, until the last monitor in the chain displays its information.

Claims

1. A method for connecting at least two monitors including a first monitor and a second monitor to a computer system, the method comprising:

connecting the second monitor to the first monitor; and

connecting the first monitor to the computer system;

wherein

in reporting to the computer system,

the second monitor provides second horizontal resolution and second vertical resolution to the first monitor;

the first monitor presents to the computer system as one monitor having total horizontal resolution and total vertical resolution;

the total horizontal resolution includes one or a sum of first horizontal resolution and the second horizontal resolution; and

the total vertical resolution includes one or a sum of first vertical resolution and the second vertical resolution;

the first horizontal resolution and the first vertical resolution are associated with the first monitor.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

in receiving from the computer system,

the first monitor receives a total portion including a first portion and a second portion;

and

the first monitor displays the first portion and passes on the second portion to the second monitor.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of connecting a third monitor to the second monitor, wherein

the second monitor passes on a third portion to the third monitor;

and

the second portion includes the third portion and a fourth portion displayed by the second monitor.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of connecting a third monitor to the second monitor, wherein:

the third monitor provides third horizontal resolution and third vertical resolution to the second monitor; and

the second horizontal resolution being a sum of the third horizontal resolution and fourth horizontal resolution associated with the second monitor.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of connecting a third monitor to the second monitor, wherein:

the third monitor provides third horizontal resolution and third vertical resolution to the second monitor; and

the second vertical resolution being a sum of the third vertical resolution and fourth vertical resolution associated with the second monitor.

6. A computer system, comprising:

a plurality of monitor nodes connected in a daisy chain;

the first node being connected to the computer system;

each node of the daisy chain includes one or a plurality of monitors;

the first node receives from the computer system total information to be displayed by monitors in nodes of the daisy chain;

a current node in the daisy chain receives current information including a portion of the current node;

if a node subsequent to the current node in the daisy chain exists, the current information includes a portion of nodes subsequent to the current node in the daisy chain, and the current node passes the portion of nodes subsequent to the current node to the node subsequent to the current node.

7. The computer system of claim 6 wherein the portion of the current node is distributed for display by the one or plurality of monitors included in the current node.

8. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of monitors; and

a plurality of graphic logics forming a daisy chain;

each graphic logic supporting at least one monitor;

the first graphic logic in the daisy chain being connected to the computer system;

wherein

if a current graphic logic is the first graphic logic in the daisy chain, then the current graphic logic provides information to the computer system;

else if the current graphic logic is a graphic logic other than the first graphic logic in the daisy chain, then the current graphic logic provides the information to a graphic logic preceding the current graphic logic in the daisy chain; and

the provided information includes support capability of the current graphic logic and support capability of graphic logics succeeding to the current graphic logic in the daisy chain.

9. The computer system of claim 8, via the first graphic logic, deals with the plurality of monitors as a single monitor.

10. The computer system of claim 8 further comprising a graphic adapter interfacing with the first graphic logic.

11. The computer system of claim 8 wherein support capability of a graphic logic in the daisy chain includes one or a combination of vertical resolution, horizontal resolution, color depth, and refresh rate of the at least one monitor supported by that graphic logic.

12. The computer system of claim 8 wherein the at least one monitor supported by a graphic logic forms one or a plurality of chains of monitors.

13. The computer system of claim 8 wherein if the current graphic logic is the first graphic logic in the daisy chain then the provided information includes a sum of horizontal resolutions of the plurality of monitors.

14. The computer system of claim 8 wherein if the current graphic logic is the first graphic logic in the daisy chain then the provided information includes a sum of vertical resolutions of the plurality of monitors.

15. The computer system of claim 8 wherein:

the plurality of graphic logics include a first pair of graphic logics and a second pair of graphic logics;

a graphic logic in the first pair of graphic logics provides, to its preceding graphic logic, a sum of horizontal resolution of two monitors associated with the first pair of graphic logics; and

a graphic logic in the second pair of graphic logics provides, to its preceding graphic logic, a sum of vertical resolution of two monitors associated with the second pair of graphic logics.