Notebook having secondary processor coupled by a multiplexer to a content source or disk drive

• US 8,782,291 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Toorians, Arman, Kim, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shyu, Jing-Yih
• Application Number:
  US11/540,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20070239921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,846 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/06 Use of more than one graphics processor to process data before displaying to one or more screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/047 using display data channel standard [DDC] communication
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

In some embodiments, a notebook including a content source (e.g., a DVD or other display data source), mass storage device (e.g., hard disk drive), auxiliary display subsystem (including an auxiliary processor), PC chipset, a multiplexer between the content source, auxiliary processor, and PC chipset, and another multiplexer between the mass storage device, auxiliary processor and PC chipset, and methods implemented thereby. The auxiliary display subsystem can be operable (without communicating with the notebook'"'"'s CPU) when the notebook is in a low-power state.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first processor;

a second processor;

a first memory; and

a first multiplexer coupled to said first processor, said second processor and said first memory, wherein said first multiplexer comprises a plurality of outputs, wherein said first multiplexer is configured to communicate first content from said first memory to said first processor using a first output of said plurality of outputs, and wherein said first multiplexer is configured to directly receive said first content from said first memory and to communicate said first content from said first memory to said second processor using a second output of said plurality of outputs,

wherein said second processor is configured to control a display device to display said first content while said first processor is in a low-power state,

a second memory; and

a second multiplexer coupled to said first processor, said second processor and said second memory, wherein said second multiplexer is configured to communicate second content from said second memory to said first processor in a first state, and wherein said second multiplexer is configured to communicate said second content from said second memory to said second processor in a second state.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said first content comprises video.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said first memory is a hard disk drive.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said first memory is a DVD drive.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said second processor is an auxiliary processor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said first processor is a CPU included within a PC chipset.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said second memory is selected from a group consisting of a hard disk drive and a DVD drive.

8. A multiplexer system comprising:

an input configured to couple to a first memory;

a first output configured to couple to a first processor; and

a second output configured to couple to a second processor, and

wherein said first output is configured to directly receive first content from said first memory and to communicate said first content from said first memory to said first processor, and wherein said second output is configured to communicate said first content from said first memory to said second processor,

wherein said second processor is configured to control a display device to display said first content while said first processor is in a low-power state,

a second memory; and

a multiplexer coupled to said first processor, said second processor and said second memory, wherein said multiplexer is configured to communicate second content from said second memory to said first processor in a first state, and wherein said multiplexer is configured to communicate said second content from said second memory to said second processor in a second state.

9. The multiplexer system of claim 8, wherein said first content comprises video.

10. The multiplexer system of claim 8, wherein said first memory is a hard disk drive.

11. The multiplexer system of claim 8, wherein said first memory is a DVD drive.

12. The multiplexer system of claim 8, wherein said second processor is an auxiliary processor.

13. The multiplexer system of claim 8, wherein said first processor is a CPU included within a PC chipset.

14. A method of communicating content, said method comprising:

directly receiving first content from a first memory and communicating, using a first output of a first multiplexer, said first content from said first memory to a first processor;

communicating, using a second output of said first multiplexer, said first content from said first memory to a second processor for display using a display device, wherein said second processor is configured to control said display device to display said first content while said first processor is in a low-power state,

communicating, using a second multiplexer, second content from a second memory to said first processor in a first state; and

communicating, using said second multiplexer, said second content from said second memory to said second processor in a second state.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said first content comprises video.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said first memory is a hard disk drive.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said first memory is a DVD drive.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said second processor is an auxiliary processor.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein said first processor is a CPU included within a PC chipset.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein said second memory is selected from a group consisting of a hard disk drive and a DVD drive.