DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A DISPLAY USING A VIRTUAL DISPLAY BUFFER

• US 20090276096A1
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Powell, Chad A., Werbowsky, Laurie L., Proffitt, Jerry L., Comerford, Tim
• Application Number:
  US12/426,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276096A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/278
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23147 LCD liquid crystal display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/24 Generation of individual character patterns

Abstract

A device and a method for controlling a display make use of a virtual display buffer that acts as an intermediary between data input and display output. The data stored in the virtual display buffer is in a generic, readable first format. A display software driver translates the data stored in the virtual display buffer to a second format usable by a hardware display driver to control a specific display device.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

at least one input device;

a microprocessor configured to process;

an application configured to receive data from an input;

a virtual buffer configured to buffer the data in a first format; and

a display software driver configured to translate the data from the first format to a second format;

a display hardware driver for receiving the data in the second format; and

a display controlled by the display hardware driver to display one or more symbols based on the data.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an external interface for receiving the data in the first format.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the external interface includes at least one of:

a serial port, a universal serial bus port, an Ethernet port, and a wireless transceiver.

7. The device of claim 6, further comprising:

an external device for displaying data received from the external interface.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the external device includes at least one of:

a billboard, a personal computer, a hand held computer, and a cellular phone.

9. The device of claim 6, further comprising:

an external application for processing data received from the external interface.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the external application includes at least one of:

a remote console application, a web application, and a training application.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the data includes ASCII characters.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the symbols include alphanumeric characters.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the symbols include icons.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the display is a thermostat display.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an interface for controlling a system.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the input devices include at least one of:

an ambient condition sensor, a user interface, software alerts, and stored settings.

3-1. The device of claim 2, wherein the thermostat comprises two or more input devices.

15. A method of controlling a display, the method comprising:

gathering data from at least one input;

buffering the data in a first format;

translating the data from the first format into a second format; and

communicating the data in the second format to the display to display one or more symbols based on the data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein gathering data from at least one input comprises gathering data from two or more inputs.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the inputs are selected from the group consisting of:

an ambient condition sensor, a user interface, software alerts, and stored settings.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

deciding which data from which input will be the data buffered in a first format.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

communicating the data in the first format to an external interface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the external interface includes at least one of:

a serial port, a universal serial bus port, an Ethernet port, and a wireless transceiver.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

processing the data from the external interface in an external application.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the external application is at least one of:

a remote console application, a web application, and a training program.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

displaying the data on an external device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the external device is at least one of:

a billboard, a personal computer, a hand held computer, and a cellular phone.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the data includes ASCII characters.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the symbols include alphanumeric characters.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein the symbols include icons.

28. The method of claim 15, wherein the display is a thermostat display.