Methods and systems for updating a buffer
First Claim
1. A method for updating a buffer having a plurality of lines associated with a display to prevent image tearing, comprising:
- (a) determining a read line position in the buffer, said read line position indicating a line currently being read from the buffer;
(b) partitioning the buffer into at least a first section that is safe to update and a second section that must not be updated based on the read line position; and
(c) writing data at a line of the first section to update the buffer, wherein the line follows the second section based on the read line position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to methods and systems for updating a buffer. In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for updating a buffer, which includes strategically writing to the buffer to enable concurrent read and write to the buffer. The method eliminates the need for double buffering, thereby resulting in implementation cost and space savings compared to conventional buffering approaches. The method also prevents image tearing when used to update a frame buffer associated with a display, but is not limited to such applications. In another aspect, the present invention provides efficient mechanisms to enable buffer update across a communication link. In one example, the present invention provides a method for relaying timing information across a communication link.
404 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method for updating a buffer having a plurality of lines associated with a display to prevent image tearing, comprising:
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(a) determining a read line position in the buffer, said read line position indicating a line currently being read from the buffer; (b) partitioning the buffer into at least a first section that is safe to update and a second section that must not be updated based on the read line position; and (c) writing data at a line of the first section to update the buffer, wherein the line follows the second section based on the read line position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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7. An apparatus for updating a buffer having a plurality of lines associated with a display to prevent image tearing, comprising:
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a processor configured to; (a) determine a read line position in the buffer in a controller circuit in the processor, said read line position indicating a line currently being read from the buffer, the read line position comprising a pixel position; (b) partition the buffer into at least a first section that is safe to update and a second section that must not be updated based on the read line position in the controller circuit in the processor; and (c) write data at a line of the first section to update the buffer in the controller circuit in the processor, wherein the line follows the second section based on the read line position.
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13. An apparatus for updating a buffer having a plurality of lines associated with a display to prevent image tearing, comprising;
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a processor in a controller circuit; means for determining a read line position in the buffer by.the processor, said read line position indicating a line currently being read from the buffer, the read line position comprising a pixel position; means for partitioning the buffer into at least a first section that is safe to update and a second section that must not be updated based on the read line position by the processor; and means for writing data at a line of the first section to update the buffer, wherein the line follows the second section based on the read line position by the processor. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A non-transitory storage media comprising program instructions which are executed on a computer to implement an update of a buffer having a plurality of lines associated with a display to prevent image tearing, the storage media comprising:
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(a) program instruction that cause a read line position in the buffer to be determined, said read line position indicating a line currently being read from the buffer, the read line position comprising a pixel position; (b) program instructions that cause the buffer to be partitioned into at least a first section that is safe to update and a second section that must not be updated based on the read line position; and (c) program instructions that cause data to be written at a line of the first section to update the buffer, wherein the line follows the second section based on the read line position. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification