Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program with frame rate optimization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12505818-B2
Application number	US-202318832555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2023
Priority date	Jan 31, 2022
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

Provided is an information processing apparatus that draws a display frame image to be displayed on a display apparatus and transmits the drawn display frame image to the display apparatus in one of operation modes of a fixed frame rate and a variable frame rate. The information processing apparatus draws a display frame image and transmits the drawn display frame image to the display apparatus in the operation mode of a variable frame rate, and switches, in a case where a moving image including contents that are drawn already when the drawing of the display frame image is performed is to be displayed on the display apparatus, the operation mode to the operation mode of a fixed frame rate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An information processing apparatus configured to draw a display frame image to be displayed on a display and transmit the drawn display frame image to the display in one of operation modes of a fixed frame rate and a variable frame rate, comprising:
processing circuitry configured to
draw the display frame image and transmit the drawn display frame image to the display in the operation mode of the variable frame rate;
switch, in a case where a moving image including contents that are drawn already when the drawing of the display frame image is performed is to be displayed on the display, the operation mode to the fixed frame rate; and
change a frame rate stepwise when switching between the variable frame rate and the fixed frame rate.

2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to when the displaying of the moving image ends, switch the operation mode to the variable frame rate.

3 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
when switching the operation mode to the fixed frame rate, also designate a value of a frame rate, and transmit the display frame image to the display at time intervals according to the designated value of the frame rate.

4 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
execute a plurality of programs at the same time, wherein each of the plurality of programs functions to switch the operation mode to the fixed frame rate in a case where the program itself is to cause the moving image to be displayed on the display, and transmit the display frame image to the display in the fixed frame rate in a case where at least one of the plurality of programs requests for switching to the fixed frame rate.

5 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the moving image includes a moving image that is drawn in advance and that is stored in a memory connected to the information processing apparatus.

6 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the moving image includes a moving image that is delivered from another computer different from the information processing apparatus.

7 . An information processing method for drawing a display frame image to be displayed on a display and transmitting the drawn display frame image to the display in one of operation modes of a fixed frame rate and a variable frame rate, comprising:
drawing the display frame image and transmitting the drawn display frame image to the display in the operation mode of the variable frame rate; switching, in a case where a moving image including contents that are drawn already when the drawing of the display frame image is performed is to be displayed on the display, the operation mode so as to transmit the display frame image to the display at the fixed frame rate; and changing a frame rate stepwise when switching between the variable frame rate and the fixed frame rate.

8 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions thereon for causing a computer configured to draw a display frame image to be displayed on a display and transmit the drawn display frame image to the display in one of operation modes of a fixed frame rate and a variable frame rate to execute operations comprising:
drawing the display frame image and transmitting the drawn display frame image to the display in the operation mode of the variable frame rate;
switching, in a case where a moving image including contents that are drawn already when the drawing of the display frame image is performed is to be displayed on the display, the operation mode so as to transmit the display frame image to the display at the fixed frame rate; and
changing a frame rate stepwise when switching between the variable frame rate and the fixed frame rate.

9 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
change the frame rate stepwise by a predetermined amount when a difference between a current frame rate and a target frame rate exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

10 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the moving image is displayed in response to a predetermined event occurring during execution of a game.

11 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the moving image is displayed in a partial region of the display simultaneously with other content.

12 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
place a frame image of the moving image into the display frame image at a designated position.

13 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the moving image delivered from another computer represents a game screen image being played by another player connected online.

14 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display is configured to support a variable refresh rate technology and update a frame image to be displayed on a screen at a timing determined according to a synchronizing signal included in a video signal supplied by the information processing apparatus.

15 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
changing the frame rate stepwise by a predetermined amount when a difference between a current frame rate and a target frame rate exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

16 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the moving image is displayed in a partial region of the display simultaneously with other content.

17 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
placing a frame image of the moving image into the display frame image at a designated position.

18 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the display is configured to support a variable refresh rate technology and update a frame image to be displayed at a timing determined according to a synchronizing signal included in a video signal supplied by an information processing apparatus.

Assignees

• Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc

Inventors

• Yoshida Koichi
• Aoki Sachiyo
• Hatasawa Yasunari
• Aizawa Takahiro

Classifications

• H04N7/013

  the incoming video signal comprising different parts having originally different frame rate, e.g. video and graphics · CPC title

• G09G2340/0435

  Change or adaptation of the frame rate of the video stream · CPC title

• H04N21/4882

  for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders (arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895) · CPC title

• G09G2350/00

  Solving problems of bandwidth in display systems · CPC title

• G09G5/18

  Timing circuits for raster scan displays (specially adapted for television H04N {; synchronisation between the display unit and other display units, videodisc player G09G5/12}) · CPC title