BUFFERS FOR DISPLAY ACCELERATION

• US 20090225093A1
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Harper, John, Dyke, Kenneth C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,477,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/522
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/60 Memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence

Abstract

Embodiments enable a graphics processor to more efficiently process graphics and compositing processing commands. In certain embodiments, a client application submits client graphics commands to a graphics driver. The client in certain embodiments can notify a window server that client graphics commands have been submitted. In response, the window server can generate compositing processing commands and provide these commands to the graphics driver. Advantageously, a graphics processor can execute the client graphics commands while the window server generates compositing processing commands. As a result, processing resource can be used more efficiently.

Claims

1. A system for managing a display, the system comprising:

a first processor configured to receive client graphics commands from a client application and provide the client graphics commands to a command buffer, wherein the client graphics commands comprise commands for generating a first image layer;

a compositing module configured to;

generate compositing processing commands in response to determining that at least a second image layer is to be composited within the first image layer; and

store the compositing processing commands in a compositing buffer; and

a second processor configured to execute the client graphics command while the compositing module generates the compositing processing commands.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the compositing module comprises a window server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the client graphics commands comprise graphics library routine calls.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the graphics library is selected from a group consisting of OpenGL, OpenGL ES, and DirectX.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second image layer comprises an image of a second client application.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile phone.

8. The system claim 1, wherein the first processor comprises a central processing unit (CPU) and the second processor comprises a graphics processing unit (GPU).

9. A method of managing a display, the method comprising:

providing client graphics commands from a client application to a processor, the client graphics commands comprising commands for generating a first image layer;

determining whether at least a second image layer is to be composited with the first image layer;

in response to said determination, generating compositing processing commands while the processor executes the client graphics commands; and

providing the compositing processing commands to the processor, wherein the compositing processing commands are configured to be executed by the processor after the client graphics commands are executed by the processor, such that a composited image is configured to be provided to a display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein compositing processing commands are generated by a window server.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the client graphics commands comprise graphics library routine calls.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the compositing processing commands comprise graphics library routine calls.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile device.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile phone.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the second image layer comprises an image of a second client application.

16. A system for managing a display, the system comprising:

a graphics driver comprising one or more command buffers, the one or more command buffers configured to receive client graphics commands from a client application, the client graphics commands comprising commands for generating a first image layer; and

a window server in communication with the graphics driver and with the client application, the window server comprising one or more compositing buffers;

wherein the window server is configured to;

generate compositing processing commands in response to determining that at least a second image layer is to be composited with the first image layer;

store the compositing processing commands in a compositing buffer; and

flush the compositing processing commands to the one or more command buffers of the graphics driver;

wherein the graphics driver is configured to provide the client graphics commands to a processor, such that the processor is configured to execute the client graphics commands while the window server generates the compositing processing commands.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the graphics driver is further configured to provide the compositing processing commands to the processor such that the processor is configured to execute the compositing commands after executing the client graphics commands.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the second image layer comprises an image of a second client application.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor comprises a graphics processor configured to process the client graphics commands in parallel with a central processor configured to generate the compositing processing commands.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile device.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the client comprises a third-party application.

22. A machine readable storage medium storing executable instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations for managing a display, the operation comprising:

providing client graphics commands from a client application to a processor, the client graphics commands comprising commands for generating a first image layer;

determining whether at least a second image layer is to be composited with the first image layer;

in response to said determination, generating compositing processing commands while the processor executes the client graphics commands; and

providing the compositing processing commands to the processor, wherein the compositing processing commands are configured to be executed by the processor after the client graphics commands are executed by the processor, such that a composited image is configured to be provided to a display.

23. The machine readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein compositing processing commands are generated by a window server.

24. The machine readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the client graphics commands comprise graphics library routine calls.

25. The machine readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the compositing processing commands comprise graphics library routine calls.

26. The machine readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile device.

27. The machine readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile phone.

28. The machine readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the second image layer comprises an image of a second client application.

29. A data processing system comprising:

means for providing client graphics commands from a client application to a processor, the client graphics commands comprising commands for generating a first image layer;

means for determining whether at least a second image layer is to be composited with the first image layer;

means for generating, in response to said determination, compositing processing commands while the processor executes the client graphics commands; and

means for providing the compositing processing commands to the processor, wherein the compositing processing commands are configured to be executed by the processor after the client graphics commands are executed by the processor, such that a composited image is configured to be provided to a display.

30. A machine readable storage medium storing executable instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations for managing a display, the operations comprising:

configuring a first processor to receive client graphics commands from a client application and provide the client graphics commands to a command buffer, wherein the client graphics commands comprise commands for generating a first image layer;

generating compositing processing commands in response to determining that at least a second image layer is to be composited within the first image layer;

storing the compositing processing commands in a compositing buffer;

configuring a second processor to execute the client graphics commands while the compositing module generates the compositing processing commands.

31. The machine readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the compositing processing commands are generated by a window server.

32. The machine readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the client graphics commands comprise graphics library routine calls.

33. The machine readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the graphics library is selected from a group consisting of OpenGL, OpenGL ES, and DirectX.

34. The machine readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the second image layer comprises an image of a second client application.

35. The machine readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile device.

36. The machine readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile phone.

37. The machine readable storage medium claim 30, wherein the first processor comprises a central processing unit (CPU) and the second processor comprises a graphics processing unit (GPU).