Configurable information handling system display communication link

• US 9,646,565 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2012
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Douglas, David W., Thelen, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, Ryan M
• Application Number:
  US13/495,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20130335430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,791 Days
• Field of Search: 345520, 710 2, 710 62
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2350/00 Solving problems of bandwidth in display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• 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 display cable supports communication of display information and peripheral information between a display and an information handling system by selectively adapting data links of the display cable to include peripheral information. The data links can switch between display information and peripheral information communication or can include identifier information to support switching of both types of information on a common data link.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a housing;

components disposed in the housing and operable to cooperate to process information;

a graphics system disposed in the housing and interfaced with the components, the graphics system operable to process the information to generate pixel values for presenting the information as visual images at a display;

a graphics connector interfaced with the graphics system and operable to communicate information from the graphics system to a display cable, the graphics connector having an auxiliary link for communicating management information and plural data links for communicating the pixel values, the pixel values communicated as pixel packets of a display protocol defined to communicate visual information from a graphics system to a display;

a chipset having a protocol selection controller interfaced with the graphics system and operable to adapt a protocol used on each of the plural data links based upon one or more predetermined factors; and

a bandwidth negotiator operable to run on the chipset to communicate through the auxiliary link with the display to negotiate bandwidth available to communicate peripheral information based at least in part on bandwidth used to communicate pixel values in pixel data packets, and to assign one or more data links to communicate peripheral information based upon the negotiated bandwidth, the one or more data links configured to selectively communicate between each of the three communication configurations consisting of;

the pixel data alone, the peripheral information alone, and the pixel data and peripheral information intermixed and identified by a packet header value;

wherein all the pixel and peripheral information sent on the plural data links is sent as pixel packets and the peripheral information is encapsulated in the pixel packets having header values, the header values identifying the encapsulated peripheral information protocol.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the protocol selection controller adapts the protocol by selecting one or more of DisplayPort, 1394, USB, PCIe, and SATA protocols for use on one or more of the plural data links.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the one or more predetermined factors comprise the protocol associated with a peripheral device connected to the display and generating information for communication to the information handling system.

4. The information handling system of claim 3 wherein the peripheral device comprises a webcam connected to the display.

5. The information handling system of claim 3 wherein the peripheral comprises a wireless transceiver connected to the display.

6. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the one or more predetermined factors comprise a bandwidth associated with uninterrupted communication of the pixel values from the information handling system to the display.

7. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the protocol selection controller further comprises a switching device operable to include an identifier with information for communication through the data links, the identifier associated with a protocol of the information, and to switch the information through any of the data links by reference to the identifier.

8. The information handling system of claim 7 wherein the information comprises packets and the identifier comprises a packet header.

9. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the protocol selection controller comprises a protocol selection controller housing separate from the graphics connector, the protocol selection controller housing having first and second ends, the first end adapted to couple to the graphics connector in the place of a cable and the second end adapted to accept the cable.

10. A method for communicating between a graphics system of an information handling system graphics system and a display through a display cable, the method comprising:

exchanging management information between the graphics system and the display through an auxiliary link of the display cable;

transmitting pixel values from the information handling system to the display through plural data links of the display cable, the pixel values communicated in display protocol packets, the display protocol defined to communicate visual information as pixel values from a graphics system to a display;

analyzing bandwidth available to adapt one or more of the plural data links to communicate peripheral information through the data links, the analyzing supported at least in part with communications through the auxiliary link, the analyzing bandwidth including at least analyzing image resolution associated with pixel values transmitted through the plural data links for presentation at the display as visual images; and

selectively adapting one or more of the plural data links to transmit the peripheral information from the display to the information handling system in response to a predetermined condition based at least in part on the analyzing, the one or more data links of the display cable configured to selectively communicate between each of the three communication configurations consisting of;

pixel data alone sent only in display protocol packets, the peripheral information alone, and the pixel data and peripheral information intermixed sent only as display protocol packets, the peripheral information that is sent in display protocol packets identified by a packet header value, the peripheral information communicated in a peripheral protocol encapsulated in a display protocol packet having identification of the peripheral protocol in the packet header value.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein selectively adapting further comprises switching of peripheral information and pixel values for transmission across at least one common data link of the plural data links.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the pixel values comprise DisplayPort packets and switching peripheral information and pixel values further comprises including a header on the DisplayPort packets, the header distinguishing the pixel values from the peripheral information packets.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein selectively adapting further comprises coupling an adapter to a graphics connector of at least one of the information handling system and display, the adapter providing a connector for accepting a display cable and communicating with an auxiliary link and plural data links disposed in the display cable.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the predetermined condition comprises a predetermined bandwidth associated with transmitting of the pixel values.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein selectively adapting further comprises selecting a peripheral protocol from plural peripheral protocols to transmit the peripheral information.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein selecting a peripheral protocol further comprises selecting first and second peripheral protocols, the first peripheral protocol for transmitting peripheral information across a first data link, the second peripheral protocol for transmitting peripheral information across a second data link.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein at least some of the peripheral information in the first peripheral protocol and second peripheral protocol are transmitted across a common data link.

18. A system for communicating display information and peripheral information between a display and an information handling system, the display information communicated in display packets defined by a display protocol to communicate visual information as pixel values from a graphics system to a display, the system comprising:

a protocol selection controller operable to communicate protocol selection information through an auxiliary link of a display cable and to apply the protocol selection information to determine a selected protocol from plural protocols for communicating peripheral information over one or more display cable data links; and

a switch interfaced with the protocol selection controller and the display cable, the switch operable to coordinate communication of the peripheral information over the one or more display cable data links in the selected protocol, the one or more display cable data links configured to selectively communicate pixel data between each of the three communication configurations consisting of;

the pixel data alone sent only as display protocol packets, the peripheral information alone, and the pixel data and peripheral information intermixed sent only as display protocol packets that encapsulate the peripheral information and having peripheral information identified by a packet header value;

wherein the display cable data links have the capability of selecting each of the communication configurations and peripheral information is communicated in the display protocol packets that encapsulate the peripheral information having a peripheral protocol, the packet header value identifying the peripheral protocol.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the switch is further operable to coordinate communication of the peripheral information in the selected protocol and at least one additional of plural other protocols over a common data link.