TWI731531B - Computer system and display controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A computer system and a display controlling method thereof are provided. In the method, display capabilities of two or more displays are obtained, and the display configurations of the displays are modified according to the display capabilities, so as to reduce the difference of dots per inch (DPI) configurations and the difference of refresh rate configurations among the displays. The display capability is related to DPI information and refresh rate information supported by the displays. The display configurations include the DPI configuration and the refresh rate configuration. Accordingly, the visual experience of multi-display can be improved.

Description

Computer system and its display control method

The present invention relates to a multi-display application technology, and particularly relates to a computer system for multi-display and a display control method thereof.

Whether for leisure or work, more and more users have the need to use multiple displays (or screens) at the same time. For example, a notebook computer is connected to one monitor, or a desktop computer is connected to two monitors. And most operating systems can provide extended desktop mode, allowing users to view more information at the same time. However, when the specifications of the display corresponding to the main desktop and the extended desktop are different, a display difference will be caused, thereby increasing the user's visual discomfort.

In view of this, the embodiments of the present invention provide a computer system and a display control method thereof to reduce the difference between display settings on different displays, so as to provide a better user experience.

The display control method of the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to at least two displays operating in an extended desktop mode. This display control method includes but is not limited to the following steps: Obtain the display capabilities of these displays, and respond to these displays operating in extended desktop mode, and modify the display settings of these displays according to the display capabilities of the displays to make the dots per inch of these displays The difference between the setting (Dots Per Inch, DPI) and the screen refresh rate setting is reduced. The display capability is related to the dots per inch information and screen refresh rate information supported by the monitor. Display settings include dots per inch setting and screen refresh rate setting.

The computer system of the embodiment of the present invention includes, but is not limited to, at least two displays, a storage, and a processor. The memory is used to store several modules. The processor is electrically connected to the displays and storage. The processor loads and executes the modules stored in the memory. Those modules include display setting modules. The display setting module obtains the display capabilities of these monitors, and responds to these monitors operating in the extended desktop mode, and modifies the display settings of these monitors according to the display capabilities of the monitors, so that the dots per inch setting and the screen refresh rate setting of these monitors The difference between them is reduced. The display capability is related to the dots per inch information and screen refresh rate information supported by the monitor. Display settings include dots per inch setting and screen refresh rate setting.

Based on the above, the computer system and display control method of the embodiment of the present invention appropriately adjust settings such as dots per inch, screen update rate, etc., according to the usage scenario in the extended desktop mode, so as to synchronize the settings of different displays and reduce differences. In this way, the visual experience of the user watching the display can be improved.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of components of a computer system 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to FIG. 1, the computer system 100 includes but is not limited to at least two displays 110, a storage 130 and a processor 150. The computer system 100 may be an electronic device such as a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a server, a smart phone, and a tablet computer.

The display 110 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display or other types of displays, or various types of projectors. In one embodiment, the display 110 is used to display images. It should be noted that the display 110 may be built-in or externally connected to the main body of the computer system 100, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention. For example, a built-in display and an external display of a notebook computer, or an external display of a desktop computer.

The storage 130 may be any type of fixed or removable random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), flash memory (Flash Memory), and traditional hard drives. Disk (Hard Disk Drive, HDD), solid-state drive (Solid-State Drive, SSD) or similar components or a combination of the above components storage. In the embodiment of the present invention, the storage 130 is used to store temporary or permanent data (for example, display capabilities, display settings, permission management lists, information content, etc.), software modules (for example, display settings module 131, interactive The control module 133, the cursor control module 135, etc.) or other files and data, and the details thereof will be detailed in the subsequent embodiments.

The processor 150 is electrically connected to the display 110 and the storage 130. The processor 150 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or an image processing unit (GPU), or other programmable general-purpose or special-purpose micro-processing Microprocessor, Digital Signal Processor (DSP), programmable controller, Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or other similar components or a combination of the above components. In the embodiment of the present invention, the processor 150 is used to perform all or most of the operations of the computer system 100, can load and execute various software modules, files, and data recorded in the storage 130, and can display the screen on any台display 110.

In one embodiment, the processor 150 further includes a bridge chip to control the content of the display 110. The interface bridge chip is used to process a bridge between the audiovisual signal and the display 110. The source video and audio signal can be output and displayed on the display 110 through the interface bridge chip, and the interface bridge chip can connect multiple output devices such as monitors or projectors at the same time. With the aid of the interface bridge chip (auxiliary, AUX), the display capabilities of the electrically connected display 110 (for example, resolution, size, brightness, etc., to be described in detail later) can be found, and the display output can be adjusted accordingly Signal.

It should be noted that the processor 150 and the display 110 may be connected in a wired or wireless manner, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

In order to facilitate understanding of the operation process of the embodiment of the present invention, a number of embodiments will be given below to describe in detail the process of controlling the display screen and content in the extended desktop mode in the embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, various components and modules in the computer system 100 will be used to describe the method according to the embodiment of the present invention. Each process of the method can be adjusted accordingly according to the implementation situation, and it is not limited to this.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a display control method according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to FIG. 2, the display setting module 131 obtains the display capabilities of the displays 110 respectively (step S210). Specifically, the display capability may be dots per inch (DPI) information, frame refresh rate information, screen size, resolution, and/or brightness information supported by the display 110. The DPI information is related to the size, resolution, and zoom ratio of the display 110. The display setting module 131 can obtain the display capability of the display 110 through, for example, a Win32 application program interface (API) or other commands. For example, the "EnumDisplaySettings" or "GetMonitorCapabilities" function can obtain the modes supported by the display 110 (that is, related to the display capabilities).

Then, in response to (detecting) those connected displays 110 operating in the extended desktop mode, the display setting module 131 can modify the display settings of the displays according to the respective display capabilities of the displays 110 (step S230). Specifically, the display setting module 131 can obtain the current display setting of the display 110 through Win32 API or other commands, for example. The display settings can be DPI settings, screen update rate settings, brightness settings, cursor movement speed, or other settings. For example, the "GetSystemMetrics" function can obtain the width and height of the current display resolution, the "GetDeviceCaps" function can obtain the width, height or DPI (corresponding to the zoom ratio) of the display 110, and the "GetMonitorBrightness" function can obtain the current brightness of the display 110. The "EnumDisplaySettings" function can also get the current resolution, screen update rate and other settings.

Then, if the connection of two or more displays 110 is detected (assuming that the desktop mode is defaulted to the extended desktop mode), or the user or other trigger actions set the extended desktop mode, the display setting module 131 can compare the current status of these displays 110 Display the differences between the settings, and change the display settings of these displays 110 based on their respective display capabilities, so that the DPI settings, screen refresh rate settings, brightness settings, cursor movement speed and/or other displays between these displays 110 The difference between the settings is reduced (for example, the display settings are the same, or the difference between the display settings is less than a certain threshold).

For example, the uniformity of the DPI settings can make the font or pattern size of different displays 110 approximately the same. For another example, one display 110 supports a screen update rate of 120 Hertz (Hz), and another display 110 supports a screen update rate of 90 Hz. The display setting module 131 can set both displays 110 to 60 Hz or 90 Hz. Rate (for example, through the "ChangeDisplaySettings" function). For another example, if a certain display 110 is currently at the maximum brightness, and another display 110 is currently at the minimum brightness, the display setting module 131 may set both displays 110 to medium brightness or maximum brightness. For another example, the size and resolution of the display will affect the moving speed of the cursor (the larger the size and resolution, the slower the moving speed may be), the display setting module 131 can dynamically change the cursors of the three displays according to the current resolution or zoom ratio. Move speed to make the cursor move at the same speed.

It should be noted that the use of the Windows system in the aforementioned API is only for example, and other operating systems may use other APIs.

In addition to the aforementioned display settings for the specifications of the display 110, the embodiment of the present invention can also provide display-related authority management. Specifically, in the extended desktop mode, one display 110 is defined as the main screen (or called the main desktop), and the other displays 110 are defined as the extended screen (or called the extended desktop). The interactive control module 133 allows one or more displays 110 to display corresponding windows, shortcuts, user interfaces or information content of several application programs and several setting interfaces, but it can disable part of the display on other displays 110. Corresponding window, shortcut, user interface or information/service content of application or setting interface. In this way, the main screen can control the system to execute all applications and settings, but the extended screen has only partial permissions, and the operating range on the extended screen is also controlled by the operations on the main screen. The interactive control module 133 can determine the content that is allowed to be displayed corresponding to different displays 110 based on the permission management list (which can be pre-defined or modified).

For example, in a counter service environment (for example, an interactive environment such as a bank, a household registration office, etc.), the business server (operating the main screen) will interact with the customer (operating the extended screen). In the prior art, in order to provide different services to different customers, the service provider may need to switch different extension screens to complete different services. In the embodiment of the present invention, in order to allow the client to better focus on the unfamiliar desktop environment, only the required applications for its specific service are displayed on the extended desktop. And due to differences in various businesses, the number of applications that need to be displayed on different extended desktops will vary. At this time, the display settings of the extended screen desktop can also be adjusted according to actual needs such as the aforementioned DPI and screen update rate.

In addition, the display settings may also be related to interactive applications on different displays. In the prior art, for the display position of a dual-screen application, the window of the application will be displayed on the main screen when it is first opened. If this window is moved to the extended desktop and closed under the extended desktop, the window will not be opened on the extended desktop until the same application is opened next time. The embodiment of the present invention can automatically alternate display and focus switching between the business server (operating the main screen) and the client (operating the extended screen) to avoid displaying confidential information on the client (operating the extended screen).

In one embodiment, it responds to detection of an input operation (for example, through a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, etc.) on a first user interface (for example, a desktop or an application window) displayed on a certain display 110. The control panel and other input devices receive operations such as key presses, mouse movements, or clicks and touches), and the interactive control module 133 can switch the focus to the second user interface displayed on the other display 110. Under the focus, the interactive control module 133 allows the user's input operation or allows the display of information content. On the other hand, when not in focus, the interactive control module 133 disables the user's input operation or allows the display of information content. For example, the operation behavior received by the touch panel on the extended screen will be ignored. For another example, the extended screen displays waiting information.

For example, FIG. 3 is a flowchart of interactive display according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3, assuming that the computer system 100 includes two displays 111, 113, the display 111 is set as the main screen, and the display 113 is set as the extended screen. First, the display 111 gets the focus (marked with an asterisk in the figure), and the shortcut of the application APP is selected on the display 111 (step S310). The interactive control module 133 switches the focus to the display 113. At this time, the application APP presents the data input interface on the display 113 and waits to receive the input operation from the customer (step S320). After the customer inputs the data and presses the virtual button "OK", the interactive control module 133 switches the focus to the display 111 (step S330). The service provider can perform data processing based on the data input by the customer, and the content of the application APP is not displayed on the display 113 at this time (step S340). If the service provider finishes processing the data and presses the virtual button "OK", the interactive control module 133 switches the focus to the display 113 to notify the customer that the information processing is complete. At this time, the content of the application APP can be displayed on the display 113 (Step S350). Finally, after the customer confirms and presses the virtual button "OK", the interactive control module 133 switches the focus to the display 111, and the content of the application APP can be closed on the two displays 111, 113 (step S360).

In another embodiment, the interactive control module 133 can also display the screen displayed on the other display 110 in a window on a certain display 110. For example, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of synchronous display according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, it is assumed that the computer system 100 includes two displays 112, 114, the display 112 is set as the main screen, and the display 114 is set as the extended screen. A window W is presented on the display 112, and the content in the window W is the content displayed on the display 114. In this way, the service provider can clearly understand the operation behavior of the customer on the display 114.

It should be noted that FIG. 4 only uses two displays 110 as an example, but it is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the display 110 as the main screen may display content displayed by the other displays 110 as the extended screen through one or more windows.

In addition, the display settings are more related to the cursor position. The resolution of the displays 110 may be inconsistent, so that the cursor may not be able to cross the boundary between the images displayed on the two displays 110. For example, if the resolution of a certain display 110 is 720P, and the resolution of another display 110 is 1080P, the cursor may not be able to cross from a part of the boundary position on the 1080P display 110 to the 720P display 110.

In one embodiment, the cursor control module 135 can modify the cursor to cross the boundary between the two displays 110 according to the resolution corresponding to the DPI information of the displays and the arrangement of the displays in the extended desktop mode in the extended desktop mode. The cursor position. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of cursor position control according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5, the cursor control module 135 can use API (for example, "GetCursorPos" function) or commands to obtain the resolution of the display 110, the current cursor position (for example, the "GetCursorPos" function) and arrangement (or screen configuration) .

For example, FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the modification of the cursor position. Please refer to FIG. 6, assuming that the resolution of the display 115 is 1920*1080, and the resolution of the display 117 is 3840*2160. The displays 115, 117 are arranged side by side with the top side flush. In the prior art, the cursor C on the screen of the display 117 cannot cross the boundary corresponding to the resolution difference (for example, the partial boundary e shown in the figure) to the screen of the display 115 to the left of the picture. However, the cursor C can cross the border from the screen of the display 115 to the left of the screen to the screen displayed on the display 117. It can be seen that there may be problems when the cursor moves from a higher-resolution display to a lower-resolution display.

In one embodiment, the cursor control module 135 can determine whether the cursor position has moved to another display 110. Taking FIG. 6 as an example, the X coordinate in the (X, Y) coordinate is reduced from 1921 to 1920 or the X coordinate is increased from 1920 to 1921, which means that the cursor position crosses the boundary (ie, moves to another display 110).

After the cursor control module 135 determines that the cursor position has moved to another display 110 (step S510), the cursor control module 135 determines that the cursor has moved from the lower-resolution display 110 to the higher-resolution display 110 (step S520) , Or move from the higher-resolution display 110 to the lower-resolution display 110 (step S540). The cursor control module 135 can confirm the moving direction or the moving track from the position of the cursor. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the order of execution of step S520 and step S540 may be reversed or executed simultaneously.

In one embodiment, the cursor control module 135 modifies the value corresponding to the cursor position, and the value corresponding to the modified cursor position is reduced or enlarged according to the ratio of the resolution corresponding to the display 110. Taking FIG. 6 as an example, if the cursor C is moved from the display 115 (lower-resolution display 110) to the display 117 (higher-resolution display 110), the cursor control module 135 can increase the Y coordinate (ie, span The value of the coordinate on the vertical axis of the direction (for example, the X-axis direction) (step S530). For example, the high resolution ratio of the display 115 and the display 117 (the adjacent side perpendicular to the spanning direction) ratio is 1080:2160, and the Y-coordinate to high ratio (the ratio of 2160/1080 greater than 1 is selected because the value is to be increased) The product can be used as the Y coordinate of the modified cursor position.

On the other hand, if the cursor C is moved from the display 117 (higher-resolution display 110) to the display 115 (lower-resolution display 110), the cursor control module 135 can reduce the Y coordinate (that is, the cross direction The value of the coordinate on the vertical axis) (step S550). For example, the product of the Y coordinate and the high ratio (a ratio of 1080/2160 less than 1 is selected because the value is to be reduced) can be used as the Y coordinate of the modified cursor position.

It should be noted that in other embodiments, the cursor control module 135 may also modify the X coordinate according to the width ratio of the resolution of the two displays 110 (for example, in the extended desktop mode, the arrangement is up and down, and the spanning direction is parallel. In the arrangement direction of the display 110).

In addition, the arrangement of the displays 110 may not be adjacent to each other (for example, the arrangement is diagonal), and the cursor control module 135 can directly shift the values of the coordinates perpendicular to the spanning direction. For example, if the cursor is moved horizontally from the display 110 at a higher position to the display 110 at a lower position, the value of the Y coordinate must first be shifted vertically to the boundary of the lower display 110 (for example, the value of the Y coordinate minus The higher the resolution of the display 110 at the lower position) is then modified based on the high ratio. For another example, if the cursor is moved horizontally from the display 110 at a lower position to the display 110 at a higher position, the value of the Y coordinate must first be shifted vertically to the boundary of the display 110 at the higher position (for example, the value of the Y coordinate) In addition, the higher resolution of the display 110 at the lower position) is modified based on a high ratio.

To sum up, in the computer system and the display control method of the embodiment of the present invention, for the extended desktop mode, the display settings of the display (for example, DPI setting, screen update rate, brightness, sliding Mouse movement speed, focus determination, display authority management and/or cursor position adjustment). In this way, the user's visual discomfort between screen switching can be improved, and a user interface that facilitates the interaction between service providers and customers can be provided.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to those defined by the attached patent application scope.

100: computer system 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 117: display 130: storage 131: Display setting module 133: Interactive Control Module 135: Cursor control module 150: processor S210~S230, S310~S360, S510~S550: steps APP: Application W: Window C: cursor e: boundary

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of components of a computer system according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a display control method according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart of interactive display according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of synchronous display according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of cursor position control according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the modification of the cursor position.

S210~S230: steps

Claims (11)

A display control method suitable for at least two displays operating in an extended desktop mode. The display control method includes: obtaining the display capability of the at least two displays, wherein the display capability is related to a dot per inch supported by the at least two displays Data (Dots Per Inch, DPI) information and a screen update rate information; in response to the operation of the at least two displays in the extended desktop mode, the display settings of the at least two displays are modified according to the display capabilities of the at least two displays, wherein the display The setting includes a dots per inch setting and a frame refresh rate setting, and the difference between the dots per inch setting and the frame refresh rate setting of the at least two displays is reduced, wherein the at least two displays include a first display and A second display; and in response to detecting an input operation on a first user interface displayed on the first display, switching a focus to a second user interface displayed on the second display , Which allows the input operation or allows the display of information content under the focus. According to the display control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the display setting further includes a cursor moving speed, and the step of modifying the display setting of the at least two displays further includes: according to the dots per inch of the at least two displays The information modifies the moving speed of the cursor of the at least two displays. The display control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application further includes: allowing multiple application programs and multiple setting interfaces to be displayed on the first display; And disabling the display of part of the application programs or part of the setting interfaces on the second display. The display control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application further includes: displaying the screen displayed on the second display in a window on the first display. For the display control method described in claim 1, wherein the display setting further includes a cursor position, the method further includes: according to the resolution corresponding to the dots per inch information of the at least two displays, and the extended desktop The arrangement of the at least two displays in the mode is to modify the cursor position after a cursor crosses the boundary between the first display and the second display, wherein a value corresponding to the modified cursor position depends on the first display and the The scale of the second display corresponding to the resolution is reduced or enlarged. A computer system includes: at least two displays, including a first display and a second display; a storage, storing a plurality of modules; and a processor, electrically connected to the at least two displays and the storage, and loaded To access and execute the modules stored in the storage, the modules include: a display setting module, which obtains the display capabilities of the at least two displays, and responds to the operation of the at least two displays in an extended desktop mode; Modify the display settings of the at least two displays according to the display capability of the at least two displays, wherein the display capability is related to a dot-per-inch information and a screen update supported by the at least two displays New rate information, the display setting includes a dot per inch setting and a screen refresh rate setting, and the difference between the dots per inch setting and the screen refresh rate setting of the at least two displays is reduced; and an interactive control mode Group, in response to detecting an input operation on a first user interface displayed on the first display, switching a focus to a second user interface displayed on the second display, where the The input operation is allowed under the focus or the display of the information content is allowed. For example, the computer system described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein the interactive control module allows multiple application programs and multiple setting interfaces to be displayed on the first display, and disables the display of part of the second display on the second display. Some applications or some of these setting interfaces. For the computer system described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, the interactive control module displays the screen displayed on the second display in a window on the first display. For example, the computer system described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein the display setting further includes a cursor position, and the modules further include: a cursor control module corresponding to the dots per inch information of the at least two displays And the arrangement of the at least two displays in the extended desktop mode, modify the cursor position after a cursor crosses the boundary between the first display and the second display, wherein the modified cursor position corresponds to a The value is reduced or enlarged according to the ratio of the corresponding resolution of the first display and the second display. A display control method suitable for at least two displays operating in an extended desktop mode. The display control method includes: obtaining the display capability of the at least two displays, wherein the display capability is related to a dot per inch supported by the at least two displays Data (Dots Per Inch, DPI) information and a screen update rate information; in response to the operation of the at least two displays in the extended desktop mode, the display settings of the at least two displays are modified according to the display capabilities of the at least two displays, wherein the display The setting includes a dots per inch setting and a frame refresh rate setting, and the difference between the dots per inch setting and the frame refresh rate setting of the at least two displays is reduced, wherein the at least two displays include a first display and A second display; allowing multiple application programs and multiple setting interfaces to be displayed on the first display; and disabling the display of part of the application programs or part of the setting interfaces on the second display. A computer system includes: at least two displays, including a first display and a second display; a storage, storing a plurality of modules; and a processor, electrically connected to the at least two displays and the storage, and loaded To access and execute the modules stored in the storage, the modules include: a display setting module, which obtains the display capabilities of the at least two displays, and responds to the operation of the at least two displays in an extended desktop mode; Modify the display settings of the at least two displays according to the display capabilities of the at least two displays, wherein the display capabilities The force is related to the dots per inch information and the frame update rate information supported by the at least two displays, the display settings include a dots per inch setting and a frame update rate setting, and the dots per inch of the at least two displays The difference between the number setting and the screen update rate setting is reduced; and an interactive control module that allows multiple applications and multiple setting interfaces to be displayed on the first display, and disables the display of parts on the second display Of those applications or parts of these setting interfaces.

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