Display controller, screen transfer device, and screen transfer method

• US 9,665,332 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Otsuka, Katsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Craddock, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/285,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20140362096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1683 for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• 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 2340/02 Handling of images in compressed format, e.g. JPEG, MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/391 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/397 Arrangements specially adapted for transferring the contents of two or more bit-mapped memories to the screen simultaneously, e.g. for mixing or overlay G09G5/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/00 Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received correcting synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0094 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0001 Arrangements for dividing the transmission path duplexing H04L5/14; multiplexing of different sources on one path H04J
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/003 Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path

Abstract

There is provided a display controller for reading frame data from a frame buffer, and generating a screen output image to be displayed on a display, wherein the display controller is provided with a path for extracting the screen output image as a screen image for transfer to be transferred to another apparatus, and writing the screen image for transfer to a dedicated memory provided separately from the frame buffer.

Claims

1. A screen transfer device comprising:

a main memory including a frame buffer;

a display controller configured to read frame data from the frame buffer, and generate a screen output image to be displayed on a display;

a dedicated memory disposed separately from the main memory; and

a system interconnect configured to interconnect the main memory, the display controller, and the dedicated memory with each other;

a path being provided for extracting the screen output image as a screen image for transfer to be transferred to another apparatus from the display controller, and writing back the screen image for transfer to the dedicated memory without the screen image for transfer passing through the system interconnect.

2. The screen transfer device according to claim 1, further comprising

an encoder configured to compression-code the screen image for transfer;

a path being provided for the encoder to read the screen image for transfer from the dedicated memory without the screen image for transfer passing through the system interconnect, and write back the compression-coded screen image for transfer to the dedicated memory without the compression-coded screen image for transfer passing through the system interconnect.

3. The screen transfer device according to claim 2, further comprising

an input-output section configured to output the compression-coded screen image for transfer to an outside;

a path being provided for the input-output section to read the compression-coded screen image for transfer from the dedicated memory without the compression-coded screen image for transfer passing through the system interconnect.

4. The screen transfer device according to claim 1, wherein

the display controller reads frame data from a plurality of frame buffers, generates screen images in a plurality of paths, and synthesizes the screen images into a final screen output image, and

a path is provided for extracting each of the screen images generated in the respective paths and the synthesized final screen output image as the screen image for transfer from the display controller, and writing back the screen image for transfer to the dedicated memory without the screen image for transfer passing through the system interconnect.

5. The screen transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the display controller has two channels of screen output, and generates two kinds of screen output images, one screen output image is output to a display panel connected to the display controller, and the other screen output image is extracted as the screen image for transfer.

6. The screen transfer device according to claim 5, wherein the two kinds of screen output images are screen output images different from each other in resolution or refresh rate.

7. The screen transfer device according to claim 5, wherein one of the two kinds of screen output images is an operating screen.

8. The screen transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the dedicated memory is shared between screen transfer processing and downward compatible processing.

9. A screen transfer method for transferring a screen image in a device, the device including a main memory, a display controller, and a dedicated memory interconnected with each other by a system interconnect, the method comprising:

reading frame data from a frame buffer included in the main memory, and generating a screen output image to be displayed on a display by the display controller;

extracting the screen output image as a screen image for transfer to be transferred to another apparatus from the display controller, and writing back the screen image for transfer to the dedicated memory without the screen image for transfer passing through the system interconnect; and

compression-coding the screen image for transfer, the screen image for transfer being written back to the dedicated memory, and transferring the screen image for transfer to the other apparatus.