Method and system for changing a display device on a computer system during operation thereof

• US 6,697,033 B1
• Filed: 11/28/2000
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ATI International SRL (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Xiaokang, Fong, Foo-Yat, Leung, Kwok-Chiu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M.
• Application Number:
  US09/724,456
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1, 345/3, 345/132, 345/213, 345/428, 345/698, 345/204, 345/5, 345/785, 710/63, 710/69, 710/70, 364/200, 713/300
• US Class Current: 345/5
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/026 Arrangements or methods related to booting a display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/042 for monitor identification
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• 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

Abstract

A method and system connects a display device or other device to a computer system during operation of the system. Initially a run time EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) flag is set to a first value indicating no run time EDID is required. By monitoring for an interrupt a checking is carried out for a change to a new display device in the computer system. If no change to a new display device is detected, the run time EDID flag is checked. If the run time EDID flag indicates that no run time EDID is required, an EDID is read from a video BIOS on a graphics adapter in the computer system. If the run time EDID flag indicates that a run time EDID is required, an EDID is read from a video memory on a graphics adapter in the computer system. If a change to a new display device is detected, the run time EDID flag is set to a second value and EDID is then downloaded from the new display device.

Claims

1. A method for connecting a display device to a computer system during operation of the system, comprising the steps of:

a) setting initially a run time EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) flag to a first value indicating no run time EDID required;

b) checking for a change to a new display device in the computer system;

c) if no change to a new display device is detected, checking the run time EDID flag and if the run time EDID flag indicates that no run time EDID is required, reading an EDID from a video BIOS on a graphics adapter in the computer system, and going to step e), and if the run time EDID flag indicates that a run time EDID is required, reading an EDID from a video memory on a graphics adapter in the computer system, and going to step e);

d) if a change to a new display device is detected, setting the run time EDID flag to a second value, downloading an EDID from the new display device to a video memory on the graphics adapter in the computer system, reading the EDID from the video memory of the graphics adapter in the computer system and going to step e); and

e) configuring the computer system for the new display device using the EDID.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein step b) of checking for a change to a new display device comprises detecting an interrupt in a CPU of the computer system during operation of the computer System.

3. The method according to claim 1 Wherein the method is executed by a software routine stored in a system memory of the computer system.

4. The method acoording to claim 3, wherein the external software routine is a terminate and stay resident in the computer system.

5. A method for connecting a new display device to a computer system during operation of the system, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a software routine that responds to an interrupt of a CPU of the computer system based on a run time EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) flag indicating a run time EDID is required;

b) determining by the software routine, in response to the interrupt in the computer system, that a new display device has been connected to the computer system;

c) if no change to a new display device is detected checking the run time EDID flag and if the run time EDID flag indicates that no run time EDID is required, reading an EDID from a video BIOS on a graphics adapter in the computer system, and going to step e), and if the run time EDID flag indicates that a run time EDID is required, reading the EDID from a video memory on a graphics adapter in the computer system, and going to step e);

d) if a change to a new display device is detected, setting the run time EDID flag to a second value, downloading an EDID from the new display device to a video memory on the graphics adapter in the computer system, reading the EDID from the video memory of the graphics adapter in the computer system and going to step e); and

e) reading the new run time EDID from the video memory of the graphics adapter of the computer system and configuring the computer system for the new display device using the new run time EDID.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein step b) of checking for a change to a new display device comprises detecting an interrupt in a CPU of the computer system during operation of the computer system.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein the method is executed by a software routine stored in a system memory of the computer system.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the software routine is a terminate and stay resident in the computer system.

9. A system for connecting a display device to a computer system during operation of the system, comprising:

a central processing unit;

a graphics adapter operably connected to the central processing unit, the graphics adapter having a graphics processor operably connected to a video memory and a video BIOS;

a display device operably connected to the graphics processor in the display device;

a system memory operably connected to the central processing unit, wherein the memory stores operating instructions that cause the central processing module to;

(a) set initially a run time EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) flag to a first value indicating no run time EDID required;

(b) checking for a change to a new display device in the computer system;

(c) if no change to a new display device is detected, checking the run time EDID flag and if the run time EDID flag indicates that no run time EDID is required, reading an EDID from a video BIOS on a graphics adapter in the computer system, and going to step e, and if the run time EDID flag indicates that a run time EDID is required, reading an EDID from a video memory on a graphics adapter in the computer system, and going to step e;

(d) if a change to a new display device is detected, setting the run time EDID flag to a second value, downloading an EDID from the new display device to a video memory on the graphics adapter in the computer system, reading the EDID from the video memory of the graphics adapter in the computer system and going to step e; and

(e) configuring the computer system for the new display device using the EDID.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein step b) of checking for a change to a now display device comprises detecting an interrupt in a CPU of the computer system during operation of the computer system.

11. The system according to claim 9 wherein the method is executed by a software routine stored in a system memory of the computer system.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the software routine is a terminate and stay resident in the computer system.

13. A method for connecting a new display device to a computer system during operation of the system, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a software routine that responds to an interrupt of a CPU of the computer system based on a run time EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) flag indicating a run time EDID is required;

b) determining by the software routine, in response to the interrupt in the computer system, that a new device has been connected to the computer system;

c) if no change to a new display device is detected, checking the run time EDID flag and if the run time EDID flag indicates that no run time EDID is require, reading an EDID from a video BIOS on a graphics adapter in the computer system, and going to step e), and if the run time EDID flag indicates that a run time EDID is required, reading an EDID from a predetermined memory on a graphics adapter in the computer system, and going to step e);

(d) if a change to a new display device is detected, setting the run time EDID flag to a second value, downloading an EDID from the new device to a predetermined memory on the computer system, reading the EDID from memory in the computer system and going to step e); and

e) reading the new run time EDID from the predetermined memory in the computer system and configuring the computer system for the new display device using the new run time EDID.