JP2006039249A - Window system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To select a window system according to features of an application. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of display memories are used to make drawing to the display memories on a direct drawing basis by an application attaching importance to a speed and on a client-server basis by a plurality of applications which operate simultaneously. Planes that the applications draw are managed to discriminatingly use window systems of the two systems. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a window system that processes drawing of an application, and more particularly to a window system in which a plurality of applications operate simultaneously.

  There are two types of window system display methods: the application itself draws directly in the display memory, and the client-server method in which the application requests display from the server that is the display process and the server draws. is there. The method in which an application directly draws in a display memory has an advantage that drawing can be performed at high speed because there is no need to switch processes. On the other hand, when a plurality of applications are operated, drawing is competed with each other and an unintended display is performed. Therefore, there is a disadvantage that the plurality of applications cannot be operated simultaneously. On the other hand, the client / server system has a drawback that it takes time to switch between communication and process because it is necessary to switch processes between applications and servers, and it takes time to draw. On the other hand, since the server performs drawing at once, the drawing area can be managed exclusively, so that a plurality of applications can be operated simultaneously.

In the case of a simple system, since a function can be realized by a single application, a method of drawing directly on a display memory with an emphasis on the advantage in speed has been used. However, since functions required in recent years have increased and it has become complicated to implement with a single application, it has become necessary to implement with a plurality of applications and simultaneously execute a plurality of applications. Conventionally, in this type of window system, there is an application that, on the client / server type window system, executes an application that directly draws in a display memory, as described in Patent Document 1.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-250812

  However, the window system described in Patent Document 1 has a drawback in that, since the screen information is finally transferred to the server, the time required for the transfer becomes an overhead and the drawing takes time. In addition, since the display buffer before transfer is monopolized by one application, there is a problem that a plurality of applications cannot be operated simultaneously.

  The window system of the present invention makes it possible to select a method for directly drawing in a display memory and a client-server method according to an application.

  Specifically, the main feature is to provide a plurality of window systems for drawing on a plurality of display memories.

  Since the window system of the present invention uses a plurality of display memories, a speed-oriented application can draw directly on the display memory by a drawing method, and an application that operates at the same time can draw by a client-server method. . Therefore, there is an advantage that the window system can be selected according to the feature of the application.

(Embodiment 1)
An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a window system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As a configuration for explanation, in addition to the window system, an application for instructing drawing, the first display memory 14 and the second display memory 16 which are the entities of the two drawing planes, and the two display memories are finally combined. The figure also shows a synthesizer constituting a simple display screen and a CRT for displaying the synthesized display screen so as to be visible to the user.

  Applications A, B, and C are applications that display windows X, Y, and Z, respectively, and the three applications operate simultaneously and display on the screen. Application A draws an animation in window X. A high drawing speed is required to show the user that the animation is moving. For this reason, the application A uses the method of drawing directly in the display memory, and the application A occupies the first display memory for drawing. Application B and application C are applications that do not perform relatively high-speed drawing, and perform drawing by a client-server method in order to save display memory.

  The drawing request receiving unit 4 receives a drawing request from the application. The request may be the drawing itself, but may also specify which drawing plane the application will draw on. If the request is a request related to window control such as window generation, destruction, or display, the request is sent to the plane management unit 6. When it is necessary to execute display or drawing, a request is sent to the client drawing execution unit 10 or the server 8 based on the plane information of the plane management unit 6. The drawing request receiving unit 4 is executed in the same process as the application. The plane management unit 6 manages the drawing method and which display memory is used for drawing.

  For example, information is managed that the first plane is the drawing to the first display memory 14 by the direct drawing method, and the second plane is the second display memory 16 by the client / server method. The application specifies a plane as a drawing destination. Based on this information, the drawing request reception unit 4 determines whether to send the request to the client drawing execution unit 10 or to the server 8. The plane management unit 6 is executed in the same process as the application. The client drawing execution unit 10 executes the drawing requested by the application and draws the first display memory 14. The client drawing execution unit 10 is executed in the same process as the application. Therefore, when a plurality of applications operate simultaneously, drawing conflicts, so that only one application that draws in the first display memory 14 operates simultaneously.

  The client drawing execution unit 10 also manages window generation, destruction, display state, and display area management. Understand which windows currently exist, and add or delete them from the management structure when there is a request to create or destroy a window. The server 8 receives drawing requests from a plurality of applications from the drawing request reception unit 4, processes them in order, and instructs the server 8 drawing execution unit to execute drawing. The server 8 is executed in a separate process from the application. Accordingly, communication between processes is performed between the server 8 and the drawing request receiving unit 4. The server drawing execution unit 12 executes drawing instructed by the server 8 and draws it in the second display memory 16. The server drawing execution unit 12 is executed in the same process as the application. In addition to drawing, it also manages window creation, destruction, display status, and display area management. The first display memory 14 and the second display memory 16 hold the drawn contents, and the synthesizer 18 superimposes the display contents of the first display memory 14 and the second display memory 16 and outputs one output. Compositing to become an image. The CRT 20 displays the image output from the synthesizer 18 so as to be visible to the user.

  The operation of the window system configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the application A will be described. Application A designates the first plane as a plane to be drawn from now on. The drawing request reception unit 4 receives this request and sends it to the plane management unit 6. The plane management unit 6 stores information that the subsequent drawing request of the application A is for the first plane, that is, the first display memory 14. Next, the application A issues a window X creation request. The drawing request reception unit 4 receives this request and sends it to the client drawing execution unit 10 based on the information held in the plane management unit 6 that the drawing is for the first display memory 14. Upon receiving the request, the client drawing execution unit 10 generates and holds a window X. Subsequently, application A requests display of window X. The drawing request reception unit 4 sends a request to the client drawing execution unit 10 based on the information of the plane management unit 6.

  The client drawing execution unit 10 draws an image of the window in the first display memory 14 so as to be displayed at a corresponding position based on the managed window X information. Subsequently, the application A requests to display an animation image on the window X. The request is drawn in the first display memory 14 by the client drawing execution unit 10 through the drawing request receiving unit 4 as described above.

  Next, the application B will be described. The application B designates the second plane as a plane for drawing from now on. The drawing request reception unit 4 receives this request and sends it to the plane management unit 6. The plane management unit 6 stores information that the subsequent drawing request of the application B is for the second plane, that is, the second display memory 16. Next, the application B issues a window Y creation request. The drawing request receiving unit 4 receives this request and sends it to the server 8 based on information held in the plane management unit 6 that the drawing is for the second display memory 16. Since the server 8 is executed as a process different from the application, information is transmitted between the processes by a communication means such as TCP / IP. The server 8 receives the request and sends it to the server drawing execution unit 12. In response to the request, the server drawing execution unit 12 generates and holds a window Y. Subsequently, the application B requests display of the window Y. The drawing request reception unit 4 sends a request to the server 8 based on the information of the plane management unit 6. The server 8 receives the request and sends it to the server drawing execution unit 12. The server drawing execution unit 12 draws an image of the window in the second display memory 16 so that it is displayed at a corresponding position based on the managed information on the window Y. The drawing in the window Y is also drawn in the second display memory 16 by the same procedure.

  The application C is also drawn in the second display memory 16 in the same procedure as the application B. Even when the drawing requests of the applications B and C are generated at the same time, the server 8 sequentially processes them, so that writing to the same second display memory 16 does not occur at the same time.

  When the drawing requests of the applications A and B or the applications A and C are generated at the same time, the writing destinations are different, such as the first display memory 14 and the second display memory 16, respectively. The

  As described above, since the window system of the present invention allows selection of a drawing method, drawing suitable for the application characteristics can be performed without restricting drawing of each application, and memory can be saved at high speed. There is an effect that drawing can be performed.

  Note that the application designates which display memory is to be drawn before window generation, but it may also be specified at the time of window generation or at the time of a drawing request.

  Further, although the CRT is shown as an example of the final display device, any device capable of outputting an image, such as a PDP or an LCD, may be used.

  In this example, the plane has a one-to-one correspondence with the display memory. However, the plane may be combined inside the window system as a virtual display area unit.

  Further, although two display memories are shown as the display memory, three or more display memories may be used. Further, the composition order of display memories may be freely defined.

  In addition, regarding the client drawing execution unit and the server drawing execution unit, functionally overlapping parts are made into parts as a common drawing unit and shared by both the client and server drawing execution units, thereby further saving memory. It is.

  The window system according to the present invention has excellent design flexibility, and is useful in television receivers, AV devices such as VTRs and DVDs, computers, and other devices that display screens.

The block diagram which shows the window system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention Explanatory drawing which showed the overlapping state of the plane which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention Explanatory drawing which showed the display state of the screen which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Window system 4 Drawing request reception part 6 Plane management part 8 Server 10 Client drawing execution part 12 Server drawing execution part 14 First display memory 16 Second display memory 18 Synthesizer 20 CRT
22 Application A
24 Application B
26 Application C

Claims (1)

Same as the application, the drawing request reception unit that accepts drawing requests from the application, the plane management unit that manages the drawing method and the display destination display memory, the server that operates in a different process from the application, and processes the drawing request A window system comprising: a client drawing execution unit that executes drawing in the process of the above; and a server drawing execution unit that executes drawing in the process of the server.

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