Graphics display system with graphics window control mechanism

• US 6,630,945 B1
• Filed: 11/09/1999
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: MacInnis, Alexander G., Tang, Chengfuh Jeffrey, Kranawetter, Greg A., Patterson, James T., Xie, Xiaodong
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOSEPH, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US09/437,581
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 345/839, 345/784, 345/806, 345/807, 345/788, 345/759, 345/629, 345/639, 345/634, 345/768, 345/790, 345/794, 345/796, 345/797, 358/520
• US Class Current: 715/768
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• 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 9/00 Image coding bandwidth or redundancy reduction for static pictures H04N1/41; coding or decoding of static colour picture signals H04N1/64; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/007 Transform coding, e.g. discrete cosine transform
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0224 Details of interlacing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0247 Flicker reduction other than flicker reduction circuits used for single beam cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/02 Handling of images in compressed format, e.g. JPEG, MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/02 Graphics controller able to handle multiple formats, e.g. input or output formats
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/121 using a cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/125 using unified memory architecture [UMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/126 The frame memory having additional data ports, not inclusive of standard details of the output serial port of a VRAM
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/128 Frame memory using a Synchronous Dynamic RAM [SDRAM]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/001 Arbitration of resources in a display system, e.g. control of access to frame buffer by video controller and/or main processor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 : characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/024 : using colour registers, e.g. to control background, foreground, surface filling G09G5/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/026 : Control of mixing and/or overlay of colours in general G09G5/022 and G09G5/024 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/06 : using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 : Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 : Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/28 : for enhancement of character form, e.g. smoothing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/346 : for systems having a bit-mapped display memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/36 : characterised by the display of a graphic pattern, e.g. using an all-points-addressable [APA] memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 : Graphics controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 11/143 : Encoding means therefor H04N11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 11/20 : Conversion of the manner in which the individual colour picture signal components are combined, e.g. conversion of colour television standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/42 : characterised by implementation details or hardware specially adapted for video compression or decompression, e.g. dedicated software implementation H04N19/635 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/423 : characterised by memory arrangements H04N19/433 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/436 : using parallelised computational arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/44 : Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/59 : involving spatial sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. alteration of picture size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 : in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 : User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 : Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42653 : for processing graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4305 : Synchronising client clock from received content stream, e.g. locking decoder clock with encoder clock, extraction of the PCR packets arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter by comparing receiver clock with transmitter clock H04L7/0012; arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter wherein the receiver takes measures against momentary loss of synchronisation H04L7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 : for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 : Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 : by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 : Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/04 : Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/126 : whereby the synchronisation signal indirectly commands a frequency generator
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/14 : Picture signal circuitry for video frequency region cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 : Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 : for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0122 : the input and the output signals having different aspect ratios
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0135 : involving interpolation processes interpolation-based image scaling G06T3/4007; interpolation for video coding H04N19/587, H04N19/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/45 : Generation or recovery of colour sub-carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/641 : Multi-purpose receivers, e.g. for auxiliary information H04N9/642 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/642 : Multi-standard receivers

Abstract

A graphics integrated circuit chip is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics chip processes analog video input, digital video input, a graphics input and an audio input simultaneously. The chip processes graphics images organized as windows. The chip obtains data that describes the windows, sorts the data according to the depth of the window on the display, transfers graphics images from memory, and blends the graphics images using alpha values associated with the graphics images.

Claims

1. A method of processing graphics images for display, the method comprising the steps of:

a) organizing the graphics images into windows in which the graphics images appear on the screen;

b) obtaining data that describes the windows on a current display line, the data comprising a plurality of data portions, each data portion describing a corresponding window, and said data portions having a common structure suitable for storing window parameters that describe the corresponding window;

c) sorting the data portions according to the depth of the corresponding windows on the current display line;

d) providing window parameters from the data portion that corresponds to a back most window on the current display line to a direct memory access module to initiate transfer from memory of a portion on the current display line of the graphics image that corresponds to the back most window;

e) transferring the portion on the current display line of the graphics image that corresponds to the back most window from the memory;

f) blending the portion on the current display line of the graphics image that corresponds to the back most window with an existing content of a line buffer for the current display line using alpha values associated with that portion of the graphics image;

g) making the back most window to be a front most window after its portion on the current display line has been blended; and

h) repeating steps c)-g) until portions on the current display line of all graphics images have been blended.

2. The method of processing graphics images for display of claim 1 further comprising sorting the data portions in an order from an upper most window to a lower most window.

3. The method of processing graphics images for display of claim 2, wherein sorting the data portions in an order comprises sorting the data portions from the window that starts first vertically on the screen to the window that starts last vertically on the screen.

4. The method of processing graphics images for display of claim 1 further comprising sorting the data portions in an order from a left most window to a right most window.

5. The method of processing graphics images for display of claim 4, wherein sorting the data portions in an order comprises sorting the data portions from the window that starts first horizontally on the screen to the window that starts last horizontally on the screen.

6. The method of processing graphics images for display of claim 1 wherein sorting the data portions comprises sorting the data portions in an order from the back most window to the front most window.

7. The method of processing graphics images for display of claim 6 wherein the step of sorting the data portions further comprises sorting the data portions based on which windows have already been processed on the current display line.

8. The method of processing graphics images for display of claim 1 wherein the step of transferring the portion comprises transferring the portion into a FIFO and transferring the portion from the FIFO to a graphics converter.

9. The method of processing graphics images for display of claim 8 wherein FIFO writing and FIFO reading are performed in two different time domains.

10. The method of processing graphics images for display of claim 9 wherein FIFO writing is performed synchronously to a memory clock.

11. The method of processing graphics images for display of claim 9 wherein FIFO reading is performed asynchronously to a memory clock.

12. The method of processing graphics images for display of claim 11 wherein FIFO reading is performed synchronously to a graphics processing clock.

13. The method of processing graphics images for display of claim 1 wherein transferring the portion comprises transferring the portion directly from the memory to a graphics converter.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the window parameters comprise a depth number, wherein the back most window is the window corresponding to the data portion having a lowest depth number.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein making the back most window to be a front most window comprises adding a predetermined value to the depth number of the back most window after its portion on the current display line has been blended, thereby making the data portion that corresponds to the back most window to have the depth number that is higher than depth numbers of all other data portions.

16. A graphics window control data passing mechanism comprising:

a window controller for sorting data comprising a plurality of data portions, each data portion being used to describe a corresponding one of a plurality of windows, according to the depth of the corresponding windows on a display, said data portions having a common structure suitable for storing window parameters that describe the corresponding window;

a display engine for receiving the window parameters extracted from the sorted data from the window controller and graphics images organized into the windows from memory, and for blending the graphics images using alpha values associated with the graphics images;

a plurality of line buffers; and

a direct memory access module capable of transferring the graphics images from the memory to the display engine,

wherein the window parameters from the data portion that corresponds to a back most window on a current display line is provided to the direct memory access module to initiate transfer of a portion on the current display line of the graphics image that corresponds to the back most window from the memory to the display engine,

wherein the portion on the current display line of the graphics image that corresponds to the back most window is blended with an existing content of a line buffer for the current display line, and

wherein the back most window is made a front most window for the current display line after its portion on the current display line has been blended.

17. The graphics window control data passing mechanism of claim 16 wherein the data portions used to describe the windows are organized in an order in which the graphics images appear on the screen prior to being transferred into the window controller.

18. The graphics window control data passing mechanism of claim 16 wherein the window controller sorts the data portions in an order from the back most window to the front most window.

19. The graphics window control data passing mechanism of claim 16 wherein the window controller sorts the data portions based on which windows have already been processed on the current display line.

20. The graphics window control data passing mechanism of claim 16 wherein the display engine comprises a FIFO for receiving the graphics images from the memory.

21. The graphics window control data passing mechanism of claim 20 wherein the FIFO has a write port and a read port, and wherein the write port is synchronous to a memory clock and the read port is asynchronous to the memory clock.

22. The graphics window control data passing mechanism of claim 21 wherein the read port is synchronous to a graphics processing clock.

23. The graphics window control data passing mechanism of claim 16 wherein the display engine comprises a graphics converter, and wherein the graphics converter receives the graphics images directly from the memory.

24. A method of processing graphics images for display, the method comprising:

organizing the graphics images into windows in which the graphics images appear on the screen;

obtaining in a window controller data that describes the windows on a current display line, the data comprising a plurality of data portions, each data portion describing a corresponding window, data portions, each data portion describing a corresponding window, and said data portions having a common structure suitable for storing window parameters that describe the corresponding window;

sorting in the window controller the data portions according to the depth of the corresponding windows on the display;

transferring the graphics images from memory to a display engine; and

blending in the display engine the graphics images using alpha values associated with the graphics images,

wherein transferring the graphics images comprises transferring window parameters from the window controller to a direct memory access module in an order according to the depth of the corresponding windows on the display, said window parameters comprising a window size, a window location and a location in the memory where the graphics image for the corresponding window is stored.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein transferring the graphics images further comprises transferring the graphics image from the location in the memory to the display engine using the direct memory access module.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein transferring the graphics image further comprises packetizing the window parameters in the direct memory access module, and transmits the packets as control information to the display engine.