DISPLAY APPARATUS, DISPLAY SYNCHRONIZATION APPARATUS, DISPLAY SYNCHRONIZATION SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR SYNCHRONIZING OF DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20130328745A1
• Filed: 06/07/2013
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KOLTUK, Hayri Ugur, KOMLEV, Anton, VASSILOVSKI, Pavel Gueorguiev
• Granted Patent: US 9,304,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2350/00 Solving problems of bandwidth in display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/025 LAN communication management

Abstract

A method of synchronizing of a plurality of display apparatuses. The method includes determining a victim function, receiving a count value counting a number of times that the victim function is called in a predetermined period of time from at least one display apparatus, determining a minimum count value by comparing the received count values with each other, and synchronizing the plurality of display apparatuses based on the determined minimum count value such that the plurality of display apparatuses synchronize to the display apparatus with the slowest display execution speed.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing a plurality of display apparatuses, the method comprising:

determining a function;

receiving a count value counting a number of times that the function is called in a predetermined period of time from at least two display apparatuses from among the plurality of display apparatuses;

determining a minimum count value by comparing the received count values with each other; and

synchronizing the plurality of display apparatuses with each other based on the determined minimum count value.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the synchronizing comprises:

determining a first display apparatus that has the minimum count value in the predetermined period of time from among the plurality of display apparatuses;

calculating a difference between the count value of the first display apparatus and a count value of a second display apparatus; and

if the difference between the count values is greater than a predetermined value, transmitting an execution delay command to the second display apparatus.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the function is called at least once during a single execution of a rendering loop of a program for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI).

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of display apparatuses operates as a portion of a single large display screen.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the plurality of display apparatuses comprise one of a digital signage, an LFD, and a DID.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising adjusting the calculated difference based on a network delay.

21. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising adjusting the difference based on a first network delay from transmitting the count value from the first display apparatus and based on a second network delay from transmitting the count value from the second display apparatus.

22. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising skipping the calculating of the difference when the count value is not received by the second display apparatus at a predetermined time in a cycle and discarding the count value from the second display apparatus if received after the predetermined time.

23. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the function is a base system function that is called during a single execution of a rendering loop in a display program without a build in synchronization mechanism and wherein the first display apparatus and the second display apparatus form a video wall.

24. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first display apparatus displays a first image and the second display apparatus displays a second image and wherein the first image and the second image form one integrated single image.

7. A method of synchronizing a slave display apparatus, the method comprising:

counting a number of times that a function is called in a predetermined period of time;

transmitting to a master display apparatus a count value which is the counted number of times that the function is called;

if a difference between the transmitted count value and a count value counting a number of times that a function of another display apparatus is called in the predetermined period of time, is greater than a predetermined number, transmitting an execution delay command from the master display apparatus; and

in response to receiving the delay execution command, delaying executing display in the slave display apparatus.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7,

wherein the minimum count value is the least value out of the transmitted count value and at least one count value provided by said another display apparatus.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the function is called at least once during a single execution of a rendering loop of a program for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI).

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the difference between the count values is calculated by inserting a function counting the number of times that the function is called in an Application Program Interface hooking method.

11. A method of synchronizing a plurality of display apparatuses, the method comprising:

determining, by a master display apparatus, a function;

counting, by at least one slave display apparatus, a number of times that the function is called in a predetermined period of time;

transmitting, to the master display apparatus, by the at least one slave display apparatus, a count value which is the number of times that the function is called;

determining a minimum count value by comparing the received count values with each other; and

synchronizing the master display apparatus with the at least one slave display apparatus based on the minimum count value.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the synchronizing comprises:

determining, by the master display apparatus, a first display apparatus that has the minimum count value in the predetermined period of time from among the plurality of display apparatuses;

calculating, by the master display apparatus, a difference between the count value of the first display apparatus and a count value of a second display apparatus from among the plurality of display apparatuses;

if the difference is greater than a predetermined value, transmitting, by the master display apparatus, an execution delay command to the second display apparatus; and

in response to receiving the execution delay command, delaying, by the second display apparatus, executing display.

13. A display synchronization apparatus comprising:

a communication interface which receives a count value which is a number of times that a function is called in a predetermined period of time from at least one display apparatus; and

a controller which determines the function, and synchronizes a plurality of display apparatuses comprising the at least one display apparatus with each other based on a minimum count value from among the received count values of the plurality of display apparatuses.

14. The display synchronization apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the controller determines a first display apparatus that has the minimum count value in the predetermined period of time from among the plurality of display apparatuses,

wherein the controller calculates a difference between the count value of the first display apparatus and a count value of a second display apparatus from among the plurality of display apparatuses, and, if the difference between the count values is greater than a predetermined value, controls the communication interface to transmit an execution delay command to the second display apparatus.

15. The display synchronization apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the function is called at least once during a single execution of a rendering loop of a program for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI).

16. The display synchronization apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the controller adjusts the calculated difference between the count values based on a network delay.

17. A slave display apparatus comprising:

a display which displays a graphic user interface (GUI);

a communication interface which transmits, to a master display apparatus, a count value which is a number of times that a function is called, and receives, from the master display apparatus, an execution delay command, which is generated if a difference between the transmitted count value and a count value indicating a number of times that a function of another display apparatus is called is greater than a predetermined value; and

a controller which counts the number of times that the function is called in a predetermined period of time, and controls to delay display execution in response to the received execution delay command.

18. The slave display apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein a minimum count value is the least value out of the transmitted count value and at least one count value including the count value of the another display apparatus and wherein the execution delay command is generated if the difference between the minimum count value and the transmitted count value is greater than the predetermined value.

19. A display synchronization system comprising:

a master display apparatus which determines a function, and synchronizes a plurality of display apparatuses based on a minimum count value from among count values provided by the plurality of display apparatuses; and

at least one slave display apparatus which transmits a respective count value from among the count values to the master display apparatus in a predetermined period of time,

wherein the count value is a value counting a number of times that the function is called in the predetermined period of time.

20. The display synchronization system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the master display apparatus determines a first display apparatus that has a minimum count value from among the plurality of display apparatuses, and, if a difference between the count value of the first display apparatus and a count value of a second slave display apparatus of the plurality of display apparatuses is greater than a predetermined value, transmits an execution delay command to the second slave display apparatus,

wherein, if the execution delay command is received, the second slave display apparatus delays executing display.