Systems and methods for updating a frame buffer based on arbitrary graphics calls

• US 7,746,351 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2006
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Karlov, Donald David
• Primary Examiner(s): RICHER, JONI
• Application Number:
  US11/507,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20060279578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 345/418, 345/467, 345/501, 345/530, 345/545, 345/551, 345/556, 345/564, 345/565, 345/581, 345/611
• US Class Current: 345/545
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory

Abstract

A method for dividing a display into zones at system initialization for tracking which zones have any pixels revised so that, when the time comes to update the display, only the zones requiring revision (that is, those zones in which any pixel has been revised) are copied from shadow memory to the frame buffer for display on the display device. The memory for tracking these zones can be allocated at initialization and held since it is relatively small. Consequently, a significant performance gain may be achieved by avoiding the shortcomings of the existing methods in the art notwithstanding the fact that some “clean” pixels in each zone having even a single changed pixel are also rewritten to the frame buffer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for updating a digital image on a computer display device, said method comprising using a computer for:

logically dividing the digital image into a plurality of zones, wherein the plurality of zones forms a zone grid;

storing each zone of the plurality of zones by a starting point of each zone;

storing the size of each zone;

tracking revised zones using the starting point and the size of each revised zone; and

updating only the revised zones on the digital image, wherein the revised zones are part of the plurality of zones that forms the zone grid.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each zone of said plurality of zones is predefined.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of logically dividing the image into a plurality of zones, and tracking revised zones using the starting point of each revised zone, are both performed by a graphical processing unit using a video random access memory.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of logically dividing the image into a plurality of zones, and tracking revised zones using the starting point of each revised zone, are both performed by a central processing unit using a system random access memory.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of updating only the revised zones on the image is performed by a graphical processing unit writing the revised zones from a video random access memory to a frame buffer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of updating only the revised zones on the image is performed by a central processing unit writing the revised zones from a system random access memory directly to a frame buffer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of logically dividing the image into a plurality of zones and tracking revised zones using the starting point of each revised zone are both performed by a graphical processing unit in a video random access memory;

and wherein the step of updating only the revised zones on the image is performed by said graphical processing unit writing the revised zones from said video random access memory to a frame buffer.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of logically dividing the image into a plurality of zones and tracking revised zones using the starting point of each revised zone are both performed by a central processing unit in a system random access memory;

and wherein the step of updating only the revised zones on the image is performed by said central processing unit writing the revised zones from said system random access memory directly to the frame buffer.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said method is executed in conjunction with the use of a text-enhancement technology.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said text-enhancement technology is a sub-pixel anti-aliaser.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said method is executed in conjunction with the use of a text-enhancement technology.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said text-enhancement technology comprises a sub-pixel anti-aliaser.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said method is executed on a computer system that favors a system-to-video flow of data traffic.

14. A computer-implemented method for updating a digital image on a computer display device, said method comprising using a computer for:

logically dividing the digital image into a plurality of zones, wherein the plurality of zones forms a zone grid and wherein each zone of said plurality of zones has the same dimensions and number of pixels as the other zones;

storing each zone of the plurality of zones by a starting point of each zone;

storing the size of each zone;

tracking revised zones using the starting point and the size of each revised zone; and

updating only the revised zones on the digital image, wherein the revised zones are part of the plurality of zones that forms the zone grid.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein each zone of said plurality of zones is predefined and has the same dimensions and number of pixels as the other zones.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the number of zones vertically aligned on the image is equal to the number of zones horizontally aligned on the image.

17. A computer-implemented method for updating a digital image on a computer display device, said method comprising using a computer for:

logically dividing the digital image into a plurality of zones, wherein the plurality of zones forms a zone grid and wherein system random access memory used for logically dividing the image into a plurality of zones for tracking revised zones using the starting point of each revised zone is allocated at startup;

storing each zone of the plurality of zones by a starting point of each zone;

storing the size of each zone;

tracking revised zones using the starting point and the size of each revised zone; and

updating only the revised zones on the digital image, wherein the revised zones are part of the plurality of zones that forms the zone grid.

18. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions for updating an image on a computer display device, said computer-readable instructions comprising:

instructions for logically dividing the image into a plurality of zones, wherein the plurality of zones forms a zone grid;

instructions for storing each zone of the plurality of zones by a starting point of each zone;

instructions for storing the size of each zone;

instructions for tracking revised zones using the starting point and the size of each revised zone; and

instructions for updating only the revised zones on the image.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 further comprising instructions for predefining a plurality of zones.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 further comprising instructions for the graphical processing unit to logically divide the image into a plurality of zones in video random access memory and thereafter track those zones in said plurality of zones that are revised using the starting point of each revised zone.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 further comprising instructions for the central processing unit to logically divide the image into a plurality of zones in RAM and thereafter track those zones in said plurality of zones that are revised using the starting point of each revised zone.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 further comprising instructions for a graphical processing unit to update only a plurality of revised zones on the image by writing the plurality of revised zones from a video random access memory to a frame buffer.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 further comprising instructions for a central processing unit to update only a plurality of revised zones on the image by writing the plurality of revised zones from a RAM to a frame buffer.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein said method is executed in conjunction with the use of a text-enhancement technology.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein said method is executed in conjunction with the use of a text-enhancement technology.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein said method is executed on a computer system that favors a system-to-video flow of data traffic.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein system random access memory used for logically dividing the image into a plurality of zones for tracking revised zones using the starting point of each revised zone is allocated at startup.

28. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions for updating an image on a computer display device, said computer-readable instructions comprising:

instructions for logically dividing the image into a plurality of zones, wherein the plurality of zones forms a zone grid;

instructions for dividing the image into a plurality of zones each having the same dimensions and number of pixels;

instructions for storing each zone of the plurality of zones by a starting point of each zone;

instructions for storing the size of each zone;

instructions for tracking revised zones using the starting point and the size of each revised zone; and

instructions for updating only the revised zones on the image, wherein the revised zones are part of the plurality of zones that forms the zone grid.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 further comprising instructions for predefining a plurality of zones and for dividing the image, wherein all zones in said plurality of zones each have the same dimensions and number of pixels.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 further comprising instructions for dividing the image into a plurality of zones wherein the number of zones in said plurality of zones vertically aligned on the image is equal to the number of zones in said plurality of zones horizontally aligned on the image.

31. A system for updating an image on a computer display device, said system comprising:

means for logically dividing the image into a plurality of zones, wherein the plurality of zones forms a zone grid;

means for storing each zone of the plurality of zones by a starting point of each zone;

means for storing the size of each zone;

means for tracking revised zones using the starting point and the size of each revised zone; and

means for updating only the revised zones on the image, wherein the revised zones are part of the plurality of zones that forms the zone grid.