System for monitoring performance of advanced graphics driver including filter modules for passing supported commands associated with function calls and recording task execution time for graphic operation
US5687376A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 15, 1994 |
| Grant date | Nov 11, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 15, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2201/805
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Disclosed is a support architecture that facilitates use of display device drivers containing a minimum of hardware-specific software code. A driver need support only a relatively few common functions, which act as building blocks for the larger, more complex operations typically requested by graphics engines. In order to mediate between the limited-instruction-set device driver and the various higher-level graphics engines, the invention includes a series of translation modules that simplify engine-originated instructions into simpler graphic components. A video manager supervises routing of instructions to the specific drivers they designate, and serializes access to hardware components so that graphic commands execute atomically (i.e., without interruption). The invention also includes a graphics library containing device-level instruction sets, as well as the on-board capability to execute those commands, for a broad range of graphic operations, and one or more filter module interposed between the video manager and each device driver. The filter modules can enhance driver functionality without the need to rewrite or risk corruption of driver code; preprocess parameter informati…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.