COMPUTING SYSTEM EMPLOYING A MULTI-GPU GRAPHICS PROCESSING AND DISPLAY SUBSYSTEM SUPPORTING SINGLE-GPU NON-PARALLEL (MULTI-THREADING) AND MULTI-GPU APPLICATION-DIVISION PARALLEL MODES OF GRAPHICS PROCESSING OPERATION

• US 20110169840A1
• Filed: 01/06/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lucid Information Technology, Ltd.
• Inventors: Bakalash, Reuven
• Granted Patent: US 9,275,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/505
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/00 General purpose image data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/60 Memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/08 Power processing, i.e. workload management for processors involved in display operations, such as CPUs or GPUs
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2088 with use of a plurality of processors, each processor controlling a number of individual elements of the matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory

Abstract

A computing system employing a multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem supporting single-GPU non-parallel (i.e. multi-tasking) and multi-GPU parallel application-division modes of graphics processing operations, in order to execute graphic commands and process graphics data (GCAD) render pixel-composited images containing graphics for display on a display device during the run-time of the multiple graphics-based applications, while managing and conserving electrical power and graphics processing resources. An automatic mode control module (AMCM) analyzes the application profiles assigned to graphics applications running on the computing system, and automatically controls the mode of operation of the multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem during the run-time of the multiple graphics-based applications.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A PC-based computing system comprising:

a multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem having at least one internal GPU and at least one discrete (external) GPU, and supporting single-GPU non-parallel and multi-GPU application-division parallel modes of graphics processing, in order to execute graphic commands and process graphics data (GCAD) render pixel-composited images containing graphics for display on a display device during the run-time of multiple graphics-based applications; and

an automatic mode control module (AMCM) for automatically controlling the mode of operation of said multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem during the run-time of said multiple graphics-based applications, so as to ensure the efficient use of electrical power and graphics processing resources while running said graphics-based applications at high levels of graphics performance.

3. The PC-based computing system of claim 2, wherein said automatic mode control module employs the real-time detection of application profiles and determination of which of said GPUs in said multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem should be assigned to handle and processing the stream of graphics command and data (GCAD) of particular graphics applications running on said PC-based computing system.

4. The PC-based computing system of claim 3, wherein said multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem adapts in continuous periodic manner to meet the changing needs of said multiple graphics applications such as web browsers, chat clients, IM clients, video conferencing clients, spreadsheet programs, social network applications and 3D graphics applications, that are simultaneously running on a graphics desktop environment supported by said PC-based computing system.

5. A computing system comprising:

a multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem, having an internal GPU and a discrete GPU, and supporting single-GPU non-parallel and multi-GPU application-division parallel modes of graphics processing, in order to execute graphic commands and process graphics data (GCAD) render pixel-composited images containing graphics for display on a display device during the run-time of multiple graphics-based applications;

a register for registering the name of a plurality of graphics based applications, wherein each said graphics based application includes an initialization header;

an automatic mode control module for automatically reading the name of each graphics application running on the said computing system, and comparing the name of said graphics application with names of graphics-based applications registered in said register.

6. The computing system of claim 5, wherein for an unknown graphics based application that has not been previously profiled for graphic processing requirements, said automatic mode control module automatically reads the initialization header of said graphics based application to determine whether the said unknown graphics based application is a first type graphics based application or a second type graphics based application, and based on such determination, automatically sends the graphics commands and data (GCAD) associated with said unknown graphics based application to said at least one internal GPU or the said at least one discrete GPU, and wherein said assignment to said at least one internal GPU or said at least one discrete GPU needs to occur only once at the beginning of the runtime of said unknown graphics-based application.

7-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A PC-based computing system having a multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem that supports both single-GPU non-parallel and multi-GPU parallel application-division modes of graphics processing, and which is capable of automatic management and conservation of electrical power.

10. An Internet-based central application profile database server system comprising:

a plurality of client computing machines operably connected to the infrastructure of the Internet,

wherein each said client computing machine includes a display device and a multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem with a local database, for automatically updating, over the Internet, application profiles (APs) within said local database.

11. The Internet-based central application profile database server system of claim 10, wherein each multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem is optimally programmed at all possible times so that it quickly and continuously offers users high graphics performance through its adaptive multi-GPU graphics operation.

12. The Internet-based central application profile database server system of claim 10, which supports a Web-based Application Registration and Profile Management Application, that provides a number of Web-based services.

13. The Internet-based central application profile database server system of claim 10, wherein each said multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem can automatically and periodically upload, over the Internet, Graphic Application Profiles (APs) for storage and use within the local database of the multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem.

14. The Internet-based central application profile database server system of claim 13, wherein by enabling the automatic uploading of APs into the local database of said multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem, users of said client computing system can enjoy high performance graphics on the display devices of said client computing machines.