System and method for processing visual information

• US 9,407,863 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Solomon, Gary A., McGowan, Steven B., Howard, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhai, Kyle
• Application Number:
  US13/630,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20140092112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 345/545, 715/763
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/08 Power processing, i.e. workload management for processors involved in display operations, such as CPUs or GPUs
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/20 Details of the management of multiple sources of image data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

An apparatus for processing visual information includes a controller to control display of information in an application window based on first visual information stored in a buffer and second visual information received from one or more sources. The controller outputs the first visual information for display in a first area of the application window and outputs the second visual information for simultaneous display in a second area of the application window. The first visual information is visual information that does not change between a first time and a second time, and the second visual information is visual information that changes between the first time and the second time. The controller may be different from a central processing unit of a host device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a controller to control display of information in an application window based on first visual information stored in a buffer and second visual information from one or more sources,

the controller to output at least part of the first visual information from the buffer for display in a first area of the application window and to output at least part of the second visual information from the one or more sources for simultaneous display in a second area of the application window while the part of the first visual information is displayed in the first area, and

wherein the controller includes;

a comparator to compare the first visual information stored in the buffer for the application window for a first time and the second visual information received from the one or more sources for a second time, the comparator to provide both a first control signal and a second control signal for complete display in the application window, the first control signal to indicate that a first part of the first visual information corresponding to the first area of the application window does not change between the first time and the second time, and the second control signal to indicate that a second part of the first visual information corresponding to the second area of the application window changes between the first time and the second time; and

a selector to receive both the first control signal and the second control signal from the comparator, the selector to select the at least part of the first visual information from the buffer for the first time and corresponding to the first area of the application window based on receipt of the first control signal from the comparator, and the selector to select at least part of the second visual information for the second time corresponding to the second area of the application window based on receipt of the second control signal from the comparator, and the selected part of the first visual information corresponding to the first area to be simultaneously displayed at the application window with the selected part of the second visual information corresponding to the second area;

wherein the one or more sources include;

a first camera to generate first video information, and

a second camera to generate second video information,

wherein the second visual information is to include the first and second video information from the first and second cameras.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first time is to correspond to a first frame of the information to be displayed in the application window and the second time is to correspond to a second frame of the information to be displayed in the application window.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first frame and the second frame are to be separated by a predetermined period of time or a predetermined number of frames.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is coupled to:

a first visual information processor, and

a second visual information processor, wherein;

the first visual information processor is to correspond to a central processing unit (CPU) block and the controller is to switch control from the first processor to the second processor to output the visual information for display in the application window when a predetermined condition occurs.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the predetermined condition is to correspond to a predetermined period of time after call up of the application window.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first visual information and the second visual information are to be selected from the group consisting of image information, video information, graphics information, and text information.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first visual information is to include graphics or text information and the second visual information is to include image or video information.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sources are to correspond to one or more network cameras.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the application window is to be a Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) application window to perform video conferencing.

10. A device comprising:

a display;

a controller to control display of information in an application window output on the display based on first visual information stored in a buffer and second visual information from one or more sources, the controller to output at least part of the first visual information from the buffer for display in a first area of the application window and to output at least part of the second visual information from the one or more sources for simultaneous display in a second area of the application window while the part of the first visual information is displayed in the first area, and

the controller includes;

a comparator to compare the first visual information stored in the buffer for the application window for a first time and the second visual information received from the one or more sources for a second time, the comparator to provide both a first control signal and a second control signal for complete display in the application window, the first control signal to indicate that a first part of the first visual information corresponding to the first area of the application window does not change between the first time and the second time, and the second control signal to indicate that a second part of the first visual information corresponding to the second area of the application window changes between the first time and the second time; and

a selector to receive both the first control signal and the second control signal from the comparator, the selector to select the at least part of the first visual information from the buffer for the first time and corresponding to the first area of the application window based on receipt of the first control signal from the comparator, and the selector to select at least part of the second visual information for the second time corresponding to the second area of the application window based on receipt of the second control signal from the comparator, and the selected part of the first visual information corresponding to the first area to be simultaneously displayed at the application window with the selected part of the second visual information corresponding to the second area;

wherein the one or more sources include;

a first camera to generate first video information, and

a second camera to generate second video information,

wherein the second visual information is to include the first and second video information from the first and second cameras.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the first time is to correspond to a first frame of the information to be displayed in the application window and the second time is to correspond to a second frame of the information to be displayed in the application window.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the first frame and the second frame are to be separated by a predetermined period of time or a predetermined number of frames.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the controller is to switch control from a first visual information processor to a second visual information processor when a predetermined condition occurs, wherein the first visual information processor corresponds to a central processing unit (CPU) block.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the CPU block operates in a reduced power state after control is switched from the first visual information processor to the second visual information processor.