Patent Application
20150253984
None.
The subject matter described herein relates generally to the field of electronic devices and more particularly to smart frame toggling in electronic devices.
The advent of tablet computers has driven a market for electronic devices that are convertible between a traditional notebook configuration and a tablet configuration. It may be useful for displays to operate in full screen mode when in a traditional notebook configuration. By contrast, when the electronic device is in a tablet configuration it may be useful to present a full display in some operating circumstances and to include a bezel, or virtual frame, in other circumstances. Accordingly techniques which enable a display to convert between a configuration which includes a bezel and a configuration which includes a full display may find utility.
The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures.
Described herein are exemplary systems and methods to implement smart frame toggling in electronic devices. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of various examples. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the various examples may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been illustrated or described in detail so as not to obscure the particular examples.
As described above, it may be useful to provide electronic device displays with a full display when the electronic device is in a traditional notebook configuration and with the option to have a virtual frame around portions of the screen when the electronic device is in a tablet configuration. The subject matter described herein addresses these and other issues by providing a controller which may be coupled to the display and which includes logic to detect when the display is touched in one or more predetermined regions, and to implement a virtual frame region around portions of the display in response to the touch. The controller may continue to monitor the one or more predetermined regions of the display for touches, and may toggle the display back to a full display mode in response to certain operating conditions.
The electronic device 100 includes system hardware 120 and memory 140, which may be implemented as random access memory and/or read-only memory. A file store may be communicatively coupled to electronic device 100. The file store may be internal to electronic device 100 such as, e.g., eMMC, SSD, one or more hard drives, or other types of storage devices. Alternatively, the file store may also be external to electronic device 100 such as, e.g., one or more external hard drives, network attached storage, or a separate storage network.
System hardware 120 may include one or more processors 122, graphics processors 124, network interfaces 126, and bus structures 128. In one embodiment, processor 122 may be embodied as an Intel® Atom™ processors, Intel® Atom™ based System-on-a-Chip (SOC) or Intel ® Core2 Duo® or i3/i5/i7 series processor available from Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, California, USA. As used herein, the term “processor” means any type of computational element, such as but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, or any other type of processor or processing circuit.
Graphics processor(s) 124 may function as adjunct processor that manages graphics and/or video operations. Graphics processor(s) 124 may be integrated onto the motherboard of electronic device 100 or may be coupled via an expansion slot on the motherboard or may be located on the same die or same package as the Processing Unit.
In one embodiment, network interface 126 could be a wired interface such as an Ethernet interface (see, e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers/IEEE 802.3-2002) or a wireless interface such as an IEEE 802.11a, b or g-compliant interface (see, e.g., IEEE Standard for IT-Telecommunications and information exchange between systems LAN/MAN--Part II: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) specifications Amendment 4: Further Higher Data Rate Extension in the 2.4 GHz Band, 802.11G-2003). Another example of a wireless interface would be a general packet radio service (GPRS) interface (see, e.g., Guidelines on GPRS Handset Requirements, Global System for Mobile Communications/GSM Association, Ver. 3.0.1, December 2002).
Bus structures 128 connect various components of system hardware 128. In one embodiment, bus structures 128 may be one or more of several types of bus structure(s) including a memory bus, a peripheral bus or external bus, and/or a local bus using any variety of available bus architectures including, but not limited to, 11-bit bus, Industrial Standard Architecture (ISA), Micro-Channel Architecture (MSA), Extended ISA (EISA), Intelligent Drive Electronics (IDE), VESA Local Bus (VLB), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Universal Serial Bus (USB), Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), Personal Computer Memory Card International Association bus (PCMCIA), and Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), a High Speed Synchronous Serial Interface (HSI), a Serial Low-power Inter-chip Media Bus (SLIMbus®), or the like.
Electronic device 100 may include an RF transceiver 130 to transceive RF signals, a Near Field Communication (NFC) radio 134, and a signal processing module 132 to process signals received by RF transceiver 130. RF transceiver may implement a local wireless connection via a protocol such as, e.g., Bluetooth or 802.11X. IEEE 802.11a, b or g-compliant interface (see, e.g., IEEE Standard for IT-Telecommunications and information exchange between systems LAN/MAN--Part II: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) specifications Amendment 4: Further Higher Data Rate Extension in the 2.4 GHz Band, 802.11G-2003). Another example of a wireless interface would be a WCDMA, LTE, general packet radio service (GPRS) interface (see, e.g., Guidelines on GPRS Handset Requirements, Global System for Mobile Communications/GSM Association, Ver. 3.0.1, December 2002).
Electronic device 100 may further include one or more input/output interfaces such as, e.g., a keypad 136 and a display 138. In some examples electronic device 100 may not have a keypad and use the touch panel for input.
Memory 140 may include an operating system 142 for managing operations of electronic device 100. In one embodiment, operating system 142 includes a hardware interface module 154 that provides an interface to system hardware 120. In addition, operating system 140 may include a file system 150 that manages files used in the operation of electronic device 100 and a process control subsystem 152 that manages processes executing on electronic device 100.
Operating system 142 may include (or manage) one or more communication interfaces 146 that may operate in conjunction with system hardware 120 to transceive data packets and/or data streams from a remote source. Operating system 142 may further include a system call interface module 144 that provides an interface between the operating system 142 and one or more application modules resident in memory 130. Operating system 142 may be embodied as a UNIX operating system or any derivative thereof (e.g., Linux, Android, etc.) or as a Windows® brand operating system, or other operating systems.
In some examples an electronic device may include a controller 170, which may comprise one or more controllers that are separate from the primary execution environment. The separation may be physical in the sense that the controller may be implemented in controllers which are physically separate from the main processors. Alternatively, the trusted execution environment may logical in the sense that the controller may be hosted on same chip or chipset that hosts the main processors.
By way of example, in some examples the controller 170 may be implemented as an independent integrated circuit located on the motherboard of the electronic device 100, e.g., as a dedicated processor block on the same SOC die. In other examples the trusted execution engine may be implemented on a portion of the processor(s) 122 that is segregated from the rest of the processor(s) using hardware enforced mechanisms
In the embodiment depicted in
In some examples the electronic device 100 may comprise a chassis which includes a first section 162 which functions as a base, and the second section 164 which includes a display.
In some examples the smart frame manager 176 interacts with one or more other components of the electronic device 100 to implement smart frame toggling on the display 138 of the second section 164.
Controller 320 may be communicatively coupled to one or more local devices input/output (I/O) devices 350 which provide signals that indicate whether an electronic device is in motion or other environmental conditions. For example, local I/O devices 350 may include an accelerometer 352, a magnetometer 354, a proximity detector 356, and an orientation sensor 358.
Controller 320 may also be communicatively coupled to one or more location measurement devices 370, which may include a GNSS device 372, a WiFi device 374 and a cellular network device 376. GNSS device 372 may generate location measurements using a satellite network such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) or the like. WiFi device 374 may generate location measurements based on a location of a WiFi network access point. Similarly, Cell ID device may generate location measurements base on a location of a cellular network access point.
Smart frame manager 330 may also be communicatively coupled to a graphics processor 312 and a touch controller 314. Graphics processor 312 manages graphics operations on display(s) 310 and touch controller manages touch-based input/output operations on display(s) 310.
Having described various structures of a system to implement smart frame toggling in electronic devices, operating aspects of a system will be explained with reference to
Referring to
At operation 415 the smart frame manager 330 receives a touch signal from touch controller 314, and at operation 420 the smart frame manager 330 determines whether the touch signal received in operation 415 originated from within a predetermined region on the display 310. If, at operation 420, the touch signal did not originated from within a predetermined region on the display 310 then the smart frame manager 330 continues to monitor for touch signals. By contrast, if at operation 420 a touch signal originated within a predetermined region of the display 310 then control passes to operation 425 and the smart frame manager 330 implements a virtual frame region around at least a portion of the display 310.
By way of example, referring to
In response to the signal the graphics processor(s) 312 may, at operation 430, block graphics output to a virtual frame region of the display 310. For example, in the example depicted in
At operation 435 the graphics controller 312 may resize graphics output to the display 310 to accommodate the virtual frame region established in operation 425. For example, in the example depicted in
At operation 440 the touch controller 314 may be configured to route touch input in the virtual frame region 139 established in operation 425 to the smart frame manager such that touch inputs are not presented to the operating system of the device. For example, in the example depicted in
In some examples the touch controller 314 may be configured to monitor the predetermined region of the display for touches and if, at operation 445, there are no touches on the predetermined region of the display within a predetermined period of time then control passes to operation 450 and the virtual frame 139 is removed from the display 138. For example, the smart frame manager 330 may generate a signal which is passed to the graphics processor(s) 312.
In response to the signal the graphics processor(s) 312 may, at operation 455, present graphics output to a virtual frame region of the display 310. For example, in the example depicted in
At operation 460 the graphics controller 312 may resize graphics output to the display 310 to accommodate a full display. For example, in the example depicted in
At operation 465 the touch controller 314 may be configured to process touch input in the entire display including the virtual frame region 139 established in operation 425. For example, in the example depicted in
Thus, the operations depicted in
In some examples the smart frame manager 330 may use additional information to toggle between the two modes of operation. Referring to
At operation 515 the smart frame manager 330 receives a signal which includes at least one of a location indicator, a position indicator, or a motion indicator. For example, the smart frame manager 330 may receive signals from one or more of the local I/O devices 350 or the location measurement devices 370.
At operation 520 the smart frame manager 330 transmits a signal to the graphics processor 312 which instructs the graphics processor 312 and/or touch controller 314 to modify at least one aspect of the display based on the signal(s) received from one or more of the local I/O devices 350 or the location measurement devices 370. For example, the smart frame manager 330 may be configured to always present a full display when the electronic device 100 is in a predetermined location, or in response to the electronic device 100 being in a predetermined orientation or in response to a predetermined motion.
Alternatively, at operation 515 the smart frame manager may receive a signal which indicates that the display has been coupled to the base section 162 of the electronic device, and at least one aspect of the display may be modified in response to the signal. For example, the display may revert automatically back to a full display mode when coupled to the base section 162. Alternatively, or in addition, at least one aspect of the touch screen may be modified in response to the signal.
As described above, in some examples the electronic device may be embodied as a computer system.
A chipset 606 may also communicate with the interconnection network 604. The chipset 606 may include a memory control hub (MCH) 608. The MCH 608 may include a memory controller 610 that communicates with a memory 612 (which may be the same or similar to the memory 130 of
The MCH 608 may also include a graphics interface 614 that communicates with a display device 616. In one example, the graphics interface 614 may communicate with the display device 616 via an accelerated graphics port (AGP). In an example, the display 616 (such as a flat panel display) may communicate with the graphics interface 614 through, for example, a signal converter that translates a digital representation of an image stored in a storage device such as video memory or system memory into display signals that are interpreted and displayed by the display 616. The display signals produced by the display device may pass through various control devices before being interpreted by and subsequently displayed on the display 616.
A hub interface 618 may allow the MCH 608 and an input/output control hub (ICH) 620 to communicate. The ICH 620 may provide an interface to I/O device(s) that communicate with the computing system 600. The ICH 620 may communicate with a bus 622 through a peripheral bridge (or controller) 624, such as a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bridge, a universal serial bus (USB) controller, or other types of peripheral bridges or controllers. The bridge 624 may provide a data path between the processor 602 and peripheral devices. Other types of topologies may be utilized. Also, multiple buses may communicate with the ICH 620, e.g., through multiple bridges or controllers. Moreover, other peripherals in communication with the ICH 620 may include, in various examples, integrated drive electronics (IDE) or small computer system interface (SCSI) hard drive(s), USB port(s), a keyboard, a mouse, parallel port(s), serial port(s), floppy disk drive(s), digital output support (e.g., digital video interface (DVI)), or other devices.
The bus 622 may communicate with an audio device 626, one or more disk drive(s) 628, and a network interface device 630 (which is in communication with the computer network 603). Other devices may communicate via the bus 622. Also, various components (such as the network interface device 630) may communicate with the MCH 608 in some examples. In addition, the processor 602 and one or more other components discussed herein may be combined to form a single chip (e.g., to provide a System on Chip (SOC)). Furthermore, the graphics accelerator 616 may be included within the MCH 608 in other examples.
Furthermore, the computing system 600 may include volatile and/or nonvolatile memory (or storage). For example, nonvolatile memory may include one or more of the following: read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a disk drive (e.g., 628), a floppy disk, a compact disk ROM (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), flash memory, a magneto-optical disk, or other types of nonvolatile machine-readable media that are capable of storing electronic data (e.g., including instructions).
In an example, the processor 702-1 may include one or more processor cores 706-1 through 706-M (referred to herein as “cores 706” or more generally as “core 706”), a shared cache 708, a router 710, and/or a processor control logic or unit 720. The processor cores 706 may be implemented on a single integrated circuit (IC) chip. Moreover, the chip may include one or more shared and/or private caches (such as cache 708), buses or interconnections (such as a bus or interconnection network 712), memory controllers, or other components.
In one example, the router 710 may be used to communicate between various components of the processor 702-1 and/or system 700. Moreover, the processor 702-1 may include more than one router 710. Furthermore, the multitude of routers 710 may be in communication to enable data routing between various components inside or outside of the processor 702-1.
The shared cache 708 may store data (e.g., including instructions) that are utilized by one or more components of the processor 702-1, such as the cores 706. For example, the shared cache 708 may locally cache data stored in a memory 714 for faster access by components of the processor 702. In an example, the cache 708 may include a mid-level cache (such as a level 2 (L2), a level 3 (L3), a level 4 (L4), or other levels of cache), a last level cache (LLC), and/or combinations thereof. Moreover, various components of the processor 702-1 may communicate with the shared cache 708 directly, through a bus (e.g., the bus 712), and/or a memory controller or hub. As shown in
As illustrated in
Additionally, the core 706 may include a schedule unit 806. The schedule unit 806 may perform various operations associated with storing decoded instructions (e.g., received from the decode unit 804) until the instructions are ready for dispatch, e.g., until all source values of a decoded instruction become available. In one example, the schedule unit 806 may schedule and/or issue (or dispatch) decoded instructions to an execution unit 808 for execution. The execution unit 808 may execute the dispatched instructions after they are decoded (e.g., by the decode unit 804) and dispatched (e.g., by the schedule unit 806). In an example, the execution unit 808 may include more than one execution unit. The execution unit 808 may also perform various arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division, and may include one or more an arithmetic logic units (ALUs). In an example, a co-processor (not shown) may perform various arithmetic operations in conjunction with the execution unit 808.
Further, the execution unit 808 may execute instructions out-of-order. Hence, the processor core 706 may be an out-of-order processor core in one example. The core 706 may also include a retirement unit 810. The retirement unit 810 may retire executed instructions after they are committed. In an example, retirement of the executed instructions may result in processor state being committed from the execution of the instructions, physical registers used by the instructions being de-allocated, etc.
The core 706 may also include a bus unit 714 to enable communication between components of the processor core 706 and other components (such as the components discussed with reference to
Furthermore, even though
In some examples, one or more of the components discussed herein can be embodied as a System On Chip (SOC) device.
As illustrated in
The I/O interface 940 may be coupled to one or more I/O devices 970, e.g., via an interconnect and/or bus such as discussed herein with reference to other figures. I/O device(s) 970 may include one or more of a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, a display, an image/video capture device (such as a camera or camcorder/video recorder), a touch surface, a speaker, or the like.
As illustrated in
In an example, the processors 1002 and 1004 may be one of the processors 702 discussed with reference to
As shown in
The chipset 1020 may communicate with a bus 1040 using a PtP interface circuit 1041. The bus 1040 may have one or more devices that communicate with it, such as a bus bridge 1042 and I/O devices 1043. Via a bus 1044, the bus bridge 1043 may communicate with other devices such as a keyboard/mouse 1045, communication devices 1046 (such as modems, network interface devices, or other communication devices that may communicate with the computer network 1003), audio I/O device, and/or a data storage device 1048. The data storage device 1048 (which may be a hard disk drive or a NAND flash based solid state drive) may store code 1049 that may be executed by the processors 1004.
The following examples pertain to further examples.
Example 1 is an apparatus comprising logic, at least partially including hardware logic, configured to receive a first signal which indicates that a touch was detected in a predetermined region of a display, and in response to the first signal, to implement a virtual frame region around at least a portion of the display.
In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 can optionally include logic further configured to transmit a second signal to a graphics processor, wherein the signal instructs the graphics processor to block graphics output to the virtual frame region.
In Example 3, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-2 can optionally include logic further configured to transmit a third signal to a graphics processor, wherein the signal instructs the graphics processor to adjust a graphics output to the display to accommodate the virtual frame region.
In Example 4, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-3 can optionally include logic further configured to transmit a fourth signal to a touch controller, wherein the fourth signal instructs the touch controller to route touches in the virtual frame region to the smart frame manager.
In Example 5, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-4 can optionally include logic further configured to monitor the touch controller for a fifth signal which indicates a touch on the virtual frame region, and in response to the absence of a fifth signal within a predetermined time period, to remove the virtual frame region from the at least a portion of the display.
In Example 6, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-5 can optionally include logic further configured to transmit a sixth signal to a graphics processor, wherein the sixth signal instructs the graphics processor to present graphics output to the virtual frame region.
In Example 7, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-6 can optionally include logic further configured to transmit a seventh signal to a graphics processor, wherein the seventh signal instructs the graphics processor to adjust a graphics output to the display to accommodate a full screen display.
In Example 8, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-7 can optionally include logic further configured to transmit an eighth signal to a touch controller, wherein the signal instructs the touch controller to process touches in the virtual frame region.
In Example 9, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-8 can optionally include logic further configured to receive a ninth signal comprising at least one of a location indicator, a position indicator, or a motion indicator, and transmit a signal to a graphics processor, wherein the signal instructs the graphics processor to modify at least one aspect of the display or the touch screen in response to the ninth signal.
In Example 10, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-9 can optionally include logic further configured to receive a tenth signal indicating that the display has been coupled to a base section, and in response to the tenth signal, to remove the virtual frame region from the at least a portion of the display.
Example 11 is an electronic device comprising a base section, a display removably coupled to the base section, and a controller comprising logic, at least partially including hardware logic, configured to receive a first signal which indicates that a touch was detected in a predetermined region of a display, and in response to the first signal, to implement a virtual frame region around at least a portion of the display.
In Example 12, the subject matter of Example 11 can optionally include logic further configured to transmit a second signal to a graphics processor, wherein the signal instructs the graphics processor to block graphics output to the virtual frame region.
In Example 13, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-12 can optionally include logic further configured to transmit a third signal to a graphics processor, wherein the signal instructs the graphics processor to adjust a graphics output to the display to accommodate the virtual frame region.
In Example 14, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-13 can optionally include logic further configured to transmit a fourth signal to a touch controller, wherein the fourth signal instructs the touch controller to route touches in the virtual frame region to the smart frame manager.
In Example 15, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-14 can optionally include logic further configured to monitor the touch controller for a fifth signal which indicates a touch on the virtual frame region, and in response to the absence of a fifth signal within a predetermined time period, to remove the virtual frame region from the at least a portion of the display.
In Example 16, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-15 can optionally include logic further configured to transmit a sixth signal to a graphics processor, wherein the sixth signal instructs the graphics processor to present graphics output to the virtual frame region.
In Example 17, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-16 can optionally include logic further configured to transmit a seventh signal to a graphics processor, wherein the seventh signal instructs the graphics processor to adjust a graphics output to the display to accommodate a full screen display.
In Example 18, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-17 can optionally include logic further configured to transmit an eighth signal to a touch controller, wherein the signal instructs the touch controller to process touches in the virtual frame region.
In Example 19, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-18 can optionally include logic further configured to receive a ninth signal comprising at least one of a location indicator, a position indicator, or a motion indicator, and transmit a signal to a graphics processor, wherein the signal instructs the graphics processor to modify at least one aspect of the display or the touch screen in response to the ninth signal.
In Example 20, the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-19 can optionally include logic further configured to receive a tenth signal indicating that the display has been coupled to a base section, and in response to the tenth signal, to remove the virtual frame region from the at least a portion of the display
The terms “logic instructions” as referred to herein relates to expressions which may be understood by one or more machines for performing one or more logical operations. For example, logic instructions may comprise instructions which are interpretable by a processor compiler for executing one or more operations on one or more data objects. However, this is merely an example of machine-readable instructions and examples are not limited in this respect.
The terms “computer readable medium” as referred to herein relates to media capable of maintaining expressions which are perceivable by one or more machines. For example, a computer readable medium may comprise one or more storage devices for storing computer readable instructions or data. Such storage devices may comprise storage media such as, for example, optical, magnetic or semiconductor storage media. However, this is merely an example of a computer readable medium and examples are not limited in this respect.
The term “logic” as referred to herein relates to structure for performing one or more logical operations. For example, logic may comprise circuitry which provides one or more output signals based upon one or more input signals. Such circuitry may comprise a finite state machine which receives a digital input and provides a digital output, or circuitry which provides one or more analog output signals in response to one or more analog input signals. Such circuitry may be provided in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or field programmable gate array (FPGA). Also, logic may comprise machine-readable instructions stored in a memory in combination with processing circuitry to execute such machine-readable instructions. However, these are merely examples of structures which may provide logic and examples are not limited in this respect.
Some of the methods described herein may be embodied as logic instructions on a computer-readable medium. When executed on a processor, the logic instructions cause a processor to be programmed as a special-purpose machine that implements the described methods. The processor, when configured by the logic instructions to execute the methods described herein, constitutes structure for performing the described methods. Alternatively, the methods described herein may be reduced to logic on, e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or the like.
In the description and claims, the terms coupled and connected, along with their derivatives, may be used. In particular examples, connected may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. Coupled may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, coupled may also mean that two or more elements may not be in direct contact with each other, but yet may still cooperate or interact with each other.
Reference in the specification to “one example” or “some examples” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least an implementation. The appearances of the phrase “in one example” in various places in the specification may or may not be all referring to the same example.
Although examples have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that claimed subject matter may not be limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as sample forms of implementing the claimed subject matter.
