Electronic device having switchable graphics processors

• US 20100245366A1
• Filed: 03/29/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Nath, Siddhartha
• Granted Patent: US 8,542,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/502
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0275 Details of drivers for data electrodes, other than drivers for liquid crystal, plasma or OLED displays, not related to handling digital grey scale data or to communication of data to the pixels by means of a current
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/06 Use of more than one graphics processor to process data before displaying to one or more screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/042 for monitor identification
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/14 Use of low voltage differential signaling [LVDS] for display data communication
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers

Abstract

An electronic device comprises at least two graphics processors, referred to herein as an integrated graphics processor and a discrete graphics processor. In some circumstances, the device may be switched between the integrated graphics processor and the discrete graphics processor. In some embodiments, techniques are implemented to lock temporarily the screen display on the output of a controller while the device executes a switch between graphics processors, thereby eliminating, or at least reducing, the presence of a blank output display on the electronic device. Other embodiments may be described.

Claims

1. A method to switch between a discrete graphics processor and an integrated graphics processor in an electronic device, comprising:

switching an I2C multiplexer from the discrete graphics processor to the integrated graphics processor;

switching a graphics output mode from the discrete graphics processor to the integrated graphics processor; and

locking a display on the output of the discrete graphics processor;

falsely reporting, to an operating system executing on the electronic device, a successful transition from the discrete graphics processor to the integrated graphics processor; and

switching a display multiplexer from the discrete graphics processor to the integrated graphics processor after the integrated graphics processor has completed rendering an output.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the I2C multiplexer comprises unique input/output pins coupled to the integrated graphics processor and wherein switching an I2C multiplexer from the discrete graphics processor to the integrated graphics processor comprises disconnecting one or more input/output pins from the discrete graphics processor and connecting one or more input/output pins to the integrated graphics processor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein locking a display on the output of the discrete graphics processor further comprises blocking a screen refresh operation in an operating system executing on the electronic device, such that a blank screen is not presented on the display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein locking a display on the output of the discreet graphics processor further comprises blocking a graphics driver from accessing a memory module.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein falsely reporting, to an operating system executing on the electronic device, a successful transition from the discrete graphics processor to the integrated graphics processor comprises falsely reporting a successful completion of a device display interface (DDI) command to the operating system.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein locking a display on the output of the integrated graphics processor further comprises blocking a graphics driver from accessing a memory module.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein locking a display on the output of the discrete graphics processor further comprises blocking a graphics driver from accessing a memory module.

6. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor;

a display;

a discrete graphics processor and an integrated graphics processor;

a memory module; and

logic instructions stored in a computer readable medium which, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to switch between a discrete graphics processor and an integrated graphics processor in an electronic device by performing operations, comprising;

switching an I2C multiplexer from the discrete graphics processor to the integrated graphics processor;

switching a graphics output mode from the discrete graphics processor to the integrated graphics processor; and

locking a display on the output of the discreet graphics processor;

falsely reporting, to an operating system executing on the electronic device, a successful transition from the discrete graphics processor to the integrated graphics processor; and

switching a display multiplexer from the discrete graphics processor to the integrated graphics processor after the integrated graphics processor has completed rendering an output.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, further comprising logic instructions stored in a computer readable medium which, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to disconnect one or more input/output pins from the discrete graphics processor and connecting one or more input/output pins to the integrated graphics processor.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, further comprising logic instructions stored in a computer readable medium which, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to block a screen refresh operation in an operating system executing on the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 6, further comprising logic instructions stored in a computer readable medium which, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to block a graphics driver from accessing a memory module.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising logic instructions stored in a computer readable medium which, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to falsely report a successful completion of a device display interface (DDI) command to the operating system.

11. A method to switch between an integrated graphics processor and a discrete graphics processor in an electronic device, comprising:

switching an I2C multiplexer from the integrated graphics processor to the discrete graphics processor;

initiating a plug-n-play start operation on the discrete graphics processor;

switching a graphics output mode from the integrated graphics processor to the discrete graphics processor; and

locking a display on the output of the integrated graphics processor;

falsely reporting, to an operating system executing on the electronic device, a successful transition from the integrated graphics processor to the discrete graphics processor; and

switching a display multiplexer from the integrated graphics processor to the discrete graphics processor after the integrated graphics processor has completed rendering an output.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the I2C multiplexer comprises unique input/output pins coupled to the integrated graphics processor and wherein switching an I2C multiplexer from the integrated graphics processor to the discrete graphics processor comprises disconnecting one or more input/output pins from the integrated graphics processor and connecting one or more input/output pins to the discrete graphics processor.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein locking a display on the output of the integrated graphics processor further comprises blocking a screen refresh operation in an operating system executing on the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein falsely reporting, to an operating system executing on the electronic device, a successful transition from the integrated graphics processor to the discrete graphics processor comprises falsely reporting a successful completion of a device display interface (DDI) command to the operating system.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein locking a display on the output of the discrete graphics processor further comprises blocking a screen refresh operation in an operating system executing on the electronic device.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein falsely reporting, to an operating system executing on the electronic device, a successful transition from the discrete graphics processor to the integrated graphics processor comprises falsely reporting a successful completion of a device display interface (DDI) command to the operating system.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor;

a display;

a discrete graphics processor and an integrated graphics processor;

a memory module; and

logic instructions stored in a computer readable medium which, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to switch between an integrated graphics processor and a discrete graphics processor in an electronic device by performing operations, comprising;

switching an I2C multiplexer from the integrated graphics processor to the discrete graphics processor;

initiating a plug-n-play start operation on the discrete graphics processor;

switching a graphics output mode from the integrated graphics processor to the discrete graphics processor; and

locking a display on the output of the integrated graphics processor;

falsely reporting, to an operating system executing on the electronic device, a successful transition from the integrated graphics processor to the discrete graphics processor; and

switching a display multiplexer from the integrated graphics processor to the discrete graphics processor after the integrated graphics processor has completed rendering an output.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the I2C multiplexer comprises unique input/output pins coupled to the discrete graphics processor and wherein switching an I2C multiplexer from the discrete graphics processor to the integrated graphics processor comprises disconnecting one or more input/output pins from the discrete graphics processor and connecting one or more input/output pins to the integrated graphics processor.