Multi-monitor control

• US 8,582,028 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Zeng, Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/755,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20110242425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 348/383, 348/564, 348/706, 348/705, 345/1.1, 345/1.3
• US Class Current: 348/383
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/04 Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/268 Signal distribution or switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A multi-monitor display is disclosed. A multi-monitor display receives a video data stream configured for a single H×V video display; splits the video data stream into a plurality of video data streams for transmission to a plurality of displays which, together, substantially span the H×V display.

Claims

1. A multi-monitor system, comprising:

a video receiver configured to receive a video data stream (VDS) appropriate for a single monitor having a resolution of size H by V;

a splitter operatively connected to the video receiver and configured, without using a frame buffer, to;

partition a frame of the VDS into a plurality of portions including a first portion comprising H1 pixels and a second portion comprising H2 pixels;

generate a first output stream comprising the first portion of the frame followed by a horizontal blanking period of size H2; and

generate a second output stream comprising a horizontal blanking period of size H1 followed by the second portion of the frame;

a first video transmitter (VT) operatively connected to the splitter and configure to transmit the first output stream to a first monitor having a horizontal resolution of size H1 and a vertical resolution of size V1; and

a second VT operatively connected to the splitter and configured to configured to transmit, simultaneously with the transmission of the first output stream by the first VT, the second output stream to a second monitor having a horizontal resolution of size H2.

2. The multi-monitor system of claim 1, wherein the video receiver is a DisplayPort compatible receiver.

3. The multi-monitor system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first VT and the second VT is a DisplayPort compatible transmitter.

4. The multi-monitor system of claim 1, wherein the splitter is further configured to:

generate a third output stream comprising a vertical blanking period of size V1 followed by a third portion of the plurality of portions,

wherein the third portion comprises H1 pixels.

10. The multi-monitor system of claim 4, further comprising:

a third VT operatively connected to the splitter and configured to transmit, simultaneously with the transmission of the first output stream by the first VT, the third output stream to a third monitor having a horizontal resolution of H1 and located below the first monitor.

11. The multi-monitor system of claim 10, wherein the third monitor has a vertical resolution of V2, and wherein V exceeds a sum of V1 and V2.

12. The multi-monitor system of claim 11, wherein the first output stream comprises a vertical blanking period of size V2 after the horizontal blanking period of size H2, and wherein the second output stream comprises a vertical blanking period of V2 after the second portion of the frame.

13. The multi-monitor system of claim 1, wherein H1 and H2 sum to H.

14. The multi-monitor system of claim 1, wherein H exceeds a sum of H1 and H2.

5. A method of providing a multi-monitor display using a first video transmitter (VT) and a second VT, comprising:

receiving a video data stream configured for a single monitor having a resolution of size H by V;

partitioning a frame of the video data stream into a plurality of portions including a first portion comprising H1 pixels and a second portion comprising H2 pixels;

generating a first output stream comprising the first portion of the frame followed by a horizontal blanking period of size H2; and

generating a second output stream comprising a horizontal blanking period of size H1 followed by the second portion of the frame,

wherein partitioning the frame, generating the first output stream, and generating the second output stream are executed without using a frame buffer,

wherein the first VT is configured to transmit the first output stream to a first monitor having a horizontal resolution of size H1 and a vertical resolution of size V1, and

wherein the second VT is configured to transmit the second output stream, simultaneously with transmission of the first output stream, to a second monitor having a horizontal resolution of size H2.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the video data stream includes receiving data according to the DisplayPort standard.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting the first output stream and the second output stream to the first monitor and the second monitor includes transmitting data to the first monitor and the second monitor according to the DisplayPort standard.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein H1 and H2 sum to H.

15. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

generating a third output stream comprising a vertical blanking period of size V1 followed by a third portion of the plurality of portions, wherein the third portion comprises H1 pixels,

wherein the third output stream is transmitted to a third monitor having a resolution of size H1 and located below the first monitor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the third monitor has a vertical resolution of V2.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first output stream comprises a vertical blanking period of size V2 after the horizontal blanking period of size H2, and wherein the second output stream comprises a vertical blanking period of V2 after the second portion of the frame.

18. The method of claim 5, wherein H exceeds a sum of H1 and H2.

9. A display system comprising:

a video receiver;

a plurality of monitors including a first monitor having a horizontal resolution of size H1 and a vertical resolution of size V2, and a second monitor having a horizontal resolution of size H2; and

an image splitter configured, without using a frame buffer, to;

receive a video data stream (VDS) from the video receiver for display on a single monitor having a resolution of size H by V;

partition a frame of the VDS into a plurality of portions including a first portion comprising H1 pixels and a second portion comprising H2 pixels;

generate a first output stream comprising the first portion of the frame followed by a horizontal blanking period of size H2; and

generate a second output stream comprising a horizontal blanking period of size H1 followed by the second portion of the frame,

wherein the image splitter directs the first monitor and the second monitor of the plurality of monitors to simultaneously output the first output stream and the second output stream, respectively, without using a frame buffer.

19. The display system of claim 9, further comprising:

a third monitor having a horizontal resolution of H1 and a vertical resolution of V2,

wherein the first output stream further comprises a vertical blanking period of size V2 after the horizontal blanking period of size H2,

wherein the second output stream further comprises the vertical blanking period of size after the second portion of the frame, and

wherein the image splitter is further configured to;

generate a third output stream comprising a vertical blanking period of size V1 followed by a third portion of the frame, wherein the third portion comprises H1 pixels; and

direct the third monitor to output the third output stream while the first monitor and the second monitor output the first output stream and the second output stream.