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(11) | EP 0 279 231 A3 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | A graphics function controller for a high performance video display system |
| (57) A processing system is provided that includes an external device connected to a processor.
The external device has the capability of responding to external device commands wherein
each of these external device commands is performed within at least one fixed time
period. The processor provides these external device commands and further includes
the means for executing instructions that not only specify the external device commands
but also specify at least one internal command to be performed internally by the processor
simultaneously with the performance of the external commands by the external device.
In the disclosed embodiment, a graphics display system is provided that includes a
system processor, a graphics processor, a graphics memory and a display device. The
graphics processor receives instructions from the system processor. These instructions
specify commands to be executed in both the graphics processor and in the graphics
memory. The commands executed in the graphics memory are executed within a fixed time
period. The commands executed by the graphics processor are also executed within this
fixed time period simultaneously with the execution of the commands in the graphics
memory. The graphics processor further includes control circuitry for controlling
the execuÂtion of the graphics processor commands. The control circuitry is connected
to several registers in the graphics processor which receive instructions from the
system processor. These system processor instructions specify commands from both the
graphics memory and the graphics processor. The control circuitry provides for the
execution of these instructions in these registers in a serial loop fashion. |