TWI475510B - System and method for video routing and display - Google Patents

Description

Video routing display system and method

The present invention relates to a display system and method, and more particularly to a video routing display system and method.

With the advancement of technology, the functions of computers tend to be diversified, and various peripheral devices are constantly being introduced. In order to facilitate the user to improve the computer performance or expand the computer function, the computer's motherboard is usually equipped with Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), and Fast PCI (PCI Express). , PCI-E) and other bus slots for users to insert expansion cards such as video cards, sound cards, and network cards. In addition, the computer will also be equipped with expansion interfaces such as Firewire and Universal Serial Bus (USB) for users to connect external devices such as hard disks and printers.

In order to streamline the current computer architecture, an integrated graphics processing unit (GPU) is built in the central processing unit (CPU) or the motherboard to assist the CPU in performing graphics operations. However, for applications that require a lot of graphics operations, such as three-dimensional (3D) games, high-definition movies, animations, etc., the performance of the CPU or integrated GPU is still not enough, so you need to configure additional independent GPUs with higher computing power. To assist in the operation. The GPU is generally inserted into the busbar of the computer motherboard in the form of an interface card, thereby performing graphics computation work delivered by the CPU.

Nvidia (NVidia) has proposed a technology called Optimus, which connects the GPU through the computer's PCI-E interface to assist the CPU in performing graphics operations. Under the general display requirements, only the integrated GPU built in the CPU or the motherboard is used to perform graphics operations, and the external GPU is turned off to achieve power saving function; when there are a large number of graphics computing requirements, the external GPU is started to execute. The graphics operation is performed, and the operation result is directly outputted to the frame buffer through the PCI-E interface, and then displayed on the screen. In this way, dynamic switching of graphics operations can be achieved without rebooting or closing the application.

The above optimization techniques mainly consider the power saving function, and find out the path to optimize the computer computing performance to meet the user's demand for graphics performance. However, this technique must be established with sufficient interface bandwidth (for example, 16 times the PCI-E bandwidth), and the switching of graphics operations can be realized. If you want to move the GPU out of the computer and connect to the GPU with a USB interface, the lack of interface bandwidth will cause bottlenecks in data transmission, which will affect the performance of graphics operations.

In view of this, the present invention provides a video routing display system and method, which can externally connect a graphics processing unit (GPU) on a computer, and can solve the data transmission bottleneck when the external GPU is connected.

The invention provides a video routing display system, which comprises a host, a video output device and a graphics processing device. The host is used to output video data and video streams. The video output device includes a first output interface, and the first transmission interface is used to connect the host, and the video data and the video stream are respectively received through the first channel and the second channel of the first transmission interface. The graphics processing device is connected to the video output device by using the second transmission interface, so that the third channel and the fourth channel of the second transmission interface are respectively connected to the first channel and the second channel of the first transmission interface, and are received through the third channel. The video data in the first channel is processed and the processed video data is transmitted to the video output device through the fourth channel, and the video output device outputs the processed video data through the first output interface.

In an embodiment of the invention, the video output device further includes outputting the video stream received by the second channel through the first output interface.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the host includes a processing unit for detecting a connection state of the first output interface and a usage state of the graphics processing device, thereby controlling the output of the video output device to be received by the second channel. The video stream is streamed or the processed video material received by the fourth channel is output.

In an embodiment of the invention, the host further includes a second output interface for connecting to the screen, and a demultiplexer for connecting the second output interface. The solution multiplexer is configured to capture the processed video data in the second channel, and output the processed video data to the screen through the second output interface, wherein the second channel is received by the fourth channel. Processed video material.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the processing unit further includes detecting a connection state between the first transmission interface and the second transmission interface and a usage state of the graphics processing device, so as to control the output of the video output device through the first output interface. The processed video data received by the fourth channel or the processed video data received by the second channel is output through the second output interface.

In an embodiment of the invention, the processing unit includes detecting a connection state between the first transmission interface and the second transmission interface by using a hot-plug technology.

The present invention provides a video routing display method, which is suitable for the video output device to be output by the host to control the video data processed by the graphics processing device. The video output device is connected to the host through the first transmission interface, and the graphics processing device is transmitted through the second transmission interface. The video output device is connected, and the first channel and the second channel of the first transmission interface are respectively connected to the third channel and the fourth channel of the second transmission interface. In this method, the host detects the connection state of the first output interface of the video output device, and when the host detects that the first output interface has a connected display device, the video data is transmitted to the graphics processing through the first channel and the third channel. And the video processing device receives the video data received by the third channel, and transmits the processed video data to the video output device through the fourth channel. Finally, the video output device receives the processed video data received by the fourth channel through the first output interface.

In an embodiment of the invention, the host further outputs the video stream to the video output device through the second channel, and controls the video output device to output the video stream through the first output interface.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the host further detects a connection state of the first transmission interface and a usage state of the graphics processing device, and controls the video output device to output the video stream received by the second channel, or output. The processed video material received by the fourth channel.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the host further uses the demultiplexer to capture the processed video data in the second channel, and outputs the processed video data to the screen by using the second output interface, where The second channel receives the processed video data from the fourth channel.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the host further detects a connection state between the first transmission interface and the second transmission interface and a usage state of the graphics processing device, and accordingly controls the output of the video output device through the first output interface by the fourth The processed video data received by the channel or the processed video data received by the second channel is output through the second output interface.

In an embodiment of the invention, the host system detects the connection state of the first transmission interface and the second transmission interface by using a hot plugging technology.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first transmission interface and the second transmission interface are lightning interface, and the first channel and the third channel are data transmission channels for transmitting data, and the second channel and the fourth channel are The channel is a display channel for transmitting audio and video data.

Based on the above, the video routing display system and method of the present invention connect a computer host and a graphics processing device through a lightning interface, and configure a video output device between the two to replace the host to output the video processed by the graphics processing device. data. Thereby, the data transmission bottleneck when the external GPU is solved can be solved.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

The Thunderbolt interface introduced by Intel Corporation of the United States integrates PCI-E and DisplayPort technologies to simultaneously transmit data and video streams. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of data transmission of a lightning interface according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to Figure 1, the lightning transmission technique provides two channels 14, 15 in the same set of connectors 11, 12 or the same cable 13, each of which can transmit 10 billion bits per second in both directions. The transmission volume of the GigaBit (Gb) enables high-speed data transmission between the computer and peripheral devices. The bandwidth provided by lightning transmission technology can also be cascaded in multiple Daisy-chains for multiple high-speed devices without the need for a hub or switch.

The invention utilizes the high transmission bandwidth of the above lightning interface and the daisy chain serial connection characteristic, and designs the graphics processing unit (GPU) as an independent device, and externally connects to the computer host through the lightning interface, and is centered with an independent video output device. The medium for data transmission and video output can optimize the video routing display and solve the data transmission bottleneck when the external GPU is used.

2 is a block diagram of a video routing display system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the video routing display system 20 of the present embodiment includes a host 21, a video output device 22, and a graphics processing device 23. The functions are as follows:

The host computer 21 is, for example, a terminal device such as a desktop computer, a notebook computer, or a workstation, and includes a processor and various input/output interfaces, and can connect peripheral devices and process programs executed by the user. The host 21 also includes a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk, and can store programs or other materials executed by the processor. In addition to the video data, the host 21 can decode the video data and output the video stream.

The video output device 22 includes an output interface 222, which is connected to the host 21 by using the first transmission interface 24, and receives the video data and the video stream output by the host 21 through the first channel and the second channel of the first transmission interface 24. The first transmission interface 24 is, for example, a lightning interface, and the first channel and the second channel are data transmission channels and display channels in the lightning interface, which can respectively be used for transmitting video data and video streams.

The graphics processing device 23 includes a graphics processing unit (GPU) that is coupled to the video output device 22 using a second transmission interface 25. The second transmission interface 25 is, for example, a lightning interface, which provides a daisy chain connection manner, so that the third channel and the fourth channel of the second transmission interface 25 can be serially connected to the first transmission interface via the video output device 22, respectively. The first channel and the second channel of the second channel can receive the video data in the first channel for processing, and can transmit the processed video data to the video output device 22 through the fourth channel, and the video output is The device 22 outputs the processed video data through the output interface 222.

In detail, since each PCI-E interface needs to occupy a bandwidth of about 4 Gbps, the data transmission channel of the lightning interface can only provide 10 Gbps bandwidth, compared to the 16 PCI-E interface bandwidths used by the built-in GPU. In this case, this bandwidth is already insufficient. If the decoding of the video data is performed by an external GPU, the display data returned by the GPU can occupy a transmission bandwidth of about 3 Gbps, thereby causing a reduction in video display performance.

In order to solve the problem of insufficient transmission bandwidth, the present invention outputs the video data processed by the graphics processing device 23 through the output interface 222 of the video output device 22 when the video output device 22 is connected to the display device. The following is a detailed description of an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a video route display method according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the method of the present embodiment is applicable to the video routing display system 20, and is adapted to route the video data processed by the graphics processing device 23 to the video output device 22 when the video output device 22 is externally connected to the display device. The detailed steps of the method of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the elements in FIG. 2.

First, the host 21 detects the connected state of the output interface 222 of the video output device 22 (step S302). The video output device 22 detects the voltage of the external device inserted into the output interface 222 through a hard plug or a gold finger disposed on the output interface 222 by using a hot-plug technology. An external device is inserted and the detection result is transmitted back to the host 21 via the first transmission interface 24.

When the host 21 detects that the output interface 222 has a connection display device, the video data is transmitted to the graphics processing device 23 through the first channel of the first transmission interface 24 and the third channel of the second transmission interface 25 (step S304). In detail, the first transmission interface 24 is serially connected to the second transmission interface 25 via the video output device 22 in a daisy-chain manner, wherein the first channel of the first transmission interface 24 and the third channel of the second transmission interface 25 are serially connected. Pick up. Therefore, when the host 21 outputs the video data through the first channel of the first transmission interface 24, the data is transmitted to the graphics processing device 23 via the first channel and the third channel.

Then, the graphics processing device 23 processes the video data received by the third channel, and transmits the processed video data to the video output device 22 through the fourth channel (step S306). The GPU in the graphics processing device 23 is dedicated to graphics processing, and the graphics operation in the video data is processed by an independent GPU, which can increase the overall graphics performance of the system. The video data processed by the graphics processing device 23 is transmitted to the video output device 22 via the fourth channel of the second transmission interface 25 in the form of a video stream, and finally output by the video output device 22 through the output interface 222. The processed video data received by the four channels (step S308).

With the architecture of the video routing display system 20 and the video routing display method, the video data can be transmitted back to the video output device 22 via the display channel of the lightning interface without occupying the transmission bandwidth of the data transmission channel. The problem of insufficient data transmission bandwidth when solving an external GPU.

It should be noted that, in addition to the above-mentioned use of the graphics processing device and the video output device to output the processed video data, the present invention further integrates the computing performance of the host processor and the external GPU, and according to the connection of the external display of the host or the external display of the video output device. Status, dynamically adjust the routing of video data, thereby optimizing the computing and display performance. A detailed description of an embodiment will be given below.

4 is a block diagram of a video routing display system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the video routing display system 40 of the present embodiment includes a host 41, a video output device 42, and a graphics processing device 43. The functions are as follows:

The host 41 includes a processing unit 411, a storage unit 412, a platform control unit 413, an interface controller 414, a first transmission interface 415, a demultiplexer 416, and a second output interface 417. The processing unit 411 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor (Microprocessor), a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable controller, and a special application integrated circuit (Application). Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), or the like that can be used to perform the computational tasks required by the host 41. The storage unit 412 is, for example, a storage medium such as a hard disk or a memory, and can store programs or other materials executed by the processing unit 411. The platform control unit 413 is, for example, a Platform Controller Hub (PCH), which functions similarly to a conventional south bridge chip and is responsible for controlling various input/output interfaces and storage interfaces. The interface controller 414 is, for example, a lightning interface controller named Light Ridge, Eagle Ridge, Cactus Ridge, which can control the data transmission channel of the lightning interface and the data transmitted in the display channel. . The first transmission interface 415 is, for example, a lightning interface connector that can be connected to a transmission line that conforms to the lightning interface specification.

In addition, the multiplexer 416 is connected to the interface controller 414 and the second output interface 417, and the processed video data transmitted through the first transmission interface 415 can be extracted and output through the second output interface 417. The second output interface 417 is connected to the processing unit 411 and the demultiplexer 416, respectively, and can output the video data output by the processing unit 411 or the demultiplexer 416.

The video output device 42 includes a data conversion unit 421, an interface controller 422, a first transmission interface 423, a second transmission interface 424, and a first output interface 425. The data conversion unit 421 is configured to convert the data received by the first transmission interface 423 and the second transmission interface 424 into data that can be displayed by the display device, and then output the data to the first output interface 425. The interface controller 422 is, for example, a lightning interface controller that functions similarly to the interface controller 414. The first transmission interface 423 and the second transmission interface 424 are both lightning interface connectors for connecting the host 41 and the graphics processing device 43 respectively.

The graphics processing device 43 includes a graphics processing unit 431, an interface controller 432, and a second transmission interface 433. The interface controller 432 is, for example, a lightning interface controller that functions similarly to the interface controller 414. The second transmission interface 433 is, for example, a lightning interface, which is used to connect the video output device 42 so that the third channel and the fourth channel of the second transmission interface 433, 424 can be serially connected to the first transmission interface via the video output device 22, respectively. The first channel and the second channel of the 423 and 415 can receive the video data in the first channel through the third channel for processing, and can transmit the processed video data to the video output device 42 through the fourth channel.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a video route display method according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the method of the present embodiment is applicable to the video routing display system 40 described above, and is adapted to adjust the routing of the video data according to the connection state of the external display device and the usage state of the graphics processing device. The detailed steps of the method of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the elements in FIG.

First, the processing unit 411 of the host 41 detects the connection state of the first output interface 425 of the video output device 42 and its own second output interface 417 (step S502), and then detects the usage state of the graphics processing device 43 (step S504).

Then, the processing unit 411 controls the video output device 42 to output the processed video data received by the fourth channel through the first output interface 425 or the output through the second output interface 417 according to the connection state and the use state. The processed video material received by the second channel (step S506).

In detail, the architecture of the video routing display system 40 of the present embodiment allows more than two video displays at the same time, and can route video data to different output interfaces in the video routing display system 40. The processing unit 411 on the host 41 can analyze the computing performance of each processor to allocate video routes, thereby optimizing the video routing display. The following is a description of the embodiments.

In an embodiment, if only the first output interface 425 is externally connected to the display device, and the graphics processing device 43 cannot be used, or the graphics processing device 43 is not required (the computing requirement is less), the processing unit 411 can perform videoconferencing on its own. The data is processed, and the processed video data is transmitted to the video output device 42 through the display channel of the first output interface 425 for output through the first output interface 425.

In an embodiment, if both the first output interface 425 and the second output interface 417 have external display devices, and the graphics processing device 43 can be used, the processing unit 411 routes the video data processed by the graphics processing device 43 to all The processing interface is processed by the host 41 via the data transmission channel of the first transmission interface 415, 423 and the data transmission channel of the second transmission interface 424, 433, and the video data is transmitted to the graphics processing device 43 to be processed by the graphics processing device. After the processing is completed, the processed video data is transmitted to the video output device 42 via the display channel of the second transmission interface 424, 433, and finally output through the first output interface 425. In addition, the processed video data is transmitted to the host 41 through the display channels of the first transmission interfaces 415 and 423, and after being extracted by the demultiplexer 416, finally outputted through the second output interface 417.

In summary, the video routing display system and method of the present invention can connect the video output device and the graphics processing device to the host computer, and can transfer the graphics processing of the video data to the external graphics processing device, thereby improving the host. Drawing performance. In addition, the present invention further adjusts the routing of the video data according to the connection state of the external display device and the use state of the graphics processing device, and can solve the data transmission bottleneck when the external graphics processing device is external.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

11,12. . . Connector

13. . . Cable

14,15. . . aisle

20, 40. . . Video routing display system

21, 41. . . Host

22, 42. . . Video output device

222. . . Output interface

23, 43. . . Graphics processing device

24, 415, 423. . . First transmission interface

25,424,433. . . Second transmission interface

411. . . Processing unit

412. . . Storage unit

413. . . Platform control unit

414, 422, 432. . . Interface controller

416. . . Demultiplexer

417. . . Second output interface

421. . . Data conversion unit

425. . . First output interface

431. . . Graphics processing unit

S302~S308. . . Steps of video route display method according to an embodiment of the invention

S502~S506. . . Steps of video route display method according to an embodiment of the invention

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of data transmission of a lightning interface according to an embodiment of the invention.

2 is a block diagram of a video routing display system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a video route display method according to an embodiment of the invention.

4 is a block diagram of a video routing display system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a video route display method according to an embodiment of the invention.

20. . . Video routing display system

twenty one. . . Host

twenty two. . . Video output device

222. . . Output interface

twenty three. . . Graphics processing device

twenty four. . . First transmission interface

25. . . Second transmission interface

Claims (16)

A video routing display system includes: a host that outputs a video data and a video stream; a video output device includes a first output interface, and the first transmission interface is used to connect the host to the first transmission interface a first channel and a second channel for receiving the video data and the video stream; and a graphics processing device for connecting the video output device with a second transmission interface to enable a third channel of the second transmission interface and a fourth channel is connected to the first channel and the second channel of the first transmission interface, and the video data in the first channel is received through the third channel for processing, and transmitted through the fourth channel The processed video data is sent to the video output device, and the video output device outputs the processed video data through the first output interface. The video routing display system of claim 1, wherein the video output device further comprises outputting the video stream received by the second channel through the first output interface. The video routing display system of claim 2, wherein the host comprises: a processing unit, detecting a connection state of the first output interface and a usage state of the graphics processing device, thereby controlling the video The output device outputs the video stream received by the second channel, or outputs the processed video data received by the fourth channel. The video routing display system of claim 3, wherein the host further comprises: a second output interface connected to a screen; and a demultiplexer connected to the second output interface to capture the second And processing the processed video data in the channel, and outputting the processed video data to the screen through the second output interface, wherein the second channel receives the processed video data by the fourth channel. The video routing display system of claim 4, wherein the processing unit further comprises detecting the connection status of the first transmission interface and the second transmission interface and the usage status of the graphics processing device, And controlling the video output device to output the processed video data received by the fourth channel through the first output interface, or output the processed video data received by the second channel through the second output interface. The video routing display system of claim 5, wherein the processing unit comprises detecting the connection state of the first transmission interface and the second transmission interface by using a hot-plug technology. The video routing display system of claim 1, wherein the first transmission interface and the second transmission interface are Thunderbolt interfaces. The video routing display system of claim 1, wherein the first channel and the three channels are a data transmission channel for transmitting a data, and the second channel and the fourth channel are for transmitting one A display channel for audio and video data. A video routing display method, wherein a video output device is controlled by a host to output a video data processed by a graphics processing device, wherein the video output device is connected to the host through a first transmission interface, and the graphics processing device transmits The second transmission interface is connected to the video output device, and the first channel and the second channel of the first transmission interface are respectively connected to a third channel and a fourth channel of the second transmission interface, and the method includes the following Step: the host detects a connection state of the first output interface of the video output device; and when the host detects that the first output interface is connected to a display device, the first channel through the first transmission interface And the third channel of the second transmission interface transmits a video data to the graphics processing device; the graphics processing device processes the video data received by the third channel, and transmits the processed video data through the fourth channel To the video output device; and the video output device outputs the processed processed by the fourth channel through the first output interface Video data. The video routing display method of claim 9, wherein the host further comprises outputting a video stream to the video output device through the second channel, and controlling the video output device to output the first output interface. Video streaming. The video routing display method of claim 9, wherein the host further comprises: detecting a connection state of the first transmission interface and a usage state of the graphics processing device, thereby controlling the video output device output by The video stream received by the second channel or the processed video data received by the fourth channel. The video routing display method of claim 9, wherein the host further comprises: using a demultiplexer to retrieve the processed video data in the second channel, and using a second output interface output processing The subsequent video data is displayed on a screen, wherein the second channel is the processed video data received by the fourth channel. The video routing display method of claim 12, wherein the host further comprises detecting the connection state of the first transmission interface and the second transmission interface and the usage state of the graphics processing device, thereby controlling The video output device outputs the processed video data received by the fourth channel through the first output interface, or outputs the processed video data received by the second channel through the second output interface. The video routing display method of claim 13, wherein the host comprises detecting the connection state of the first transmission interface and the second transmission interface by using a hot plugging technology. The video routing display method of claim 9, wherein the first transmission interface and the second transmission interface are lightning interfaces. The video channel display method of claim 9, wherein the first channel and the third channel are a data transmission channel for transmitting a data, and the second channel and the fourth channel are for transmitting A display channel for audio and video data.