Patents by Inventor Greg MUTHLER
Greg MUTHLER has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Publication number: 20240169655Abstract: In a ray tracer, to prevent any long-running query from hanging the graphics processing unit, a traversal coprocessor provides a preemption mechanism that will allow rays to stop processing or time out early. The example non-limiting implementations described herein provide such a preemption mechanism, including a forward progress guarantee, and additional programmable timeout options that can be time or cycle based. Those programmable options provide a means for quality of service timing guarantees for applications such as virtual reality (VR) that have strict timing requirements.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 23, 2024Publication date: May 23, 2024Inventors: Greg MUTHLER, Ronald Charles BABICH, JR., William Parsons NEWHALL, Jr., Peter NELSON, James ROBERTSON, John BURGESS
-
Publication number: 20240087211Abstract: An alternate root tree or graph structure for ray and path tracing enables dynamic instancing build time decisions to split any number of geometry acceleration structures in a manner that is developer transparent, nearly memory storage neutral, and traversal efficient. The resulting traversals only need to partially traverse the acceleration structure, which improves efficiency. One example use reduces the number of false positive instance acceleration structure to geometry acceleration structure transitions for many spatially separated instances of the same geometry.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 9, 2022Publication date: March 14, 2024Inventors: Greg MUTHLER, John BURGESS, Magnus ANDERSSON, Timo VIITANEN, Levi OLIVER
-
Patent number: 11928772Abstract: In a ray tracer, to prevent any long-running query from hanging the graphics processing unit, a traversal coprocessor provides a preemption mechanism that will allow rays to stop processing or time out early. The example non-limiting implementations described herein provide such a preemption mechanism, including a forward progress guarantee, and additional programmable timeout options that can be time or cycle based. Those programmable options provide a means for quality of service timing guarantees for applications such as virtual reality (VR) that have strict timing requirements.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2022Date of Patent: March 12, 2024Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Greg Muthler, Ronald Charles Babich, Jr., William Parsons Newhall, Jr., Peter Nelson, James Robertson, John Burgess
-
Publication number: 20230410410Abstract: A hardware-based traversal coprocessor provides acceleration of tree traversal operations searching for intersections between primitives represented in a tree data structure and a ray. The primitives may include opaque and alpha triangles used in generating a virtual scene. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to determine primitives intersected by the ray, and return intersection information to a streaming multiprocessor for further processing. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to provide a deterministic result of intersected triangles regardless of the order that the memory subsystem returns triangle range blocks for processing, while opportunistically eliminating alpha intersections that lie further along the length of the ray than closer opaque intersections.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2023Publication date: December 21, 2023Inventors: Samuli LAINE, Tero KARRAS, Greg MUTHLER, William Parsons Newhall, JR., Ronald Charles BABACH, JR., Ignacio LLAMAS, John BURGESS
-
Patent number: 11790595Abstract: A hardware-based traversal coprocessor provides acceleration of tree traversal operations searching for intersections between primitives represented in a tree data structure and a ray. The primitives may include opaque and alpha triangles used in generating a virtual scene. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to determine primitives intersected by the ray, and return intersection information to a streaming multiprocessor for further processing. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to provide a deterministic result of intersected triangles regardless of the order that the memory subsystem returns triangle range blocks for processing, while opportunistically eliminating alpha intersections that lie further along the length of the ray than closer opaque intersections.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2021Date of Patent: October 17, 2023Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Samuli Laine, Tero Karras, Greg Muthler, William Parsons Newhall, Jr., Ronald Charles Babich, Jr., Ignacio Llamas, John Burgess
-
Publication number: 20230298258Abstract: A hardware-based traversal coprocessor provides acceleration of tree traversal operations searching for intersections between primitives represented in a tree data structure and a ray. The primitives may include triangles used in generating a virtual scene. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to properly handle numerically challenging computations at or near edges and/or vertices of primitives and/or ensure that a single intersection is reported when a ray intersects a surface formed by primitives at or near edges and/or vertices of the primitives.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2023Publication date: September 21, 2023Inventors: Samuli LAINE, Tero Karras, Timo Aila, Robert Ohannessian, William Parsons Newhall, JR., Greg Muthler, Ian Kwong, Peter Nelson, John Burgess
-
Publication number: 20230237729Abstract: A hardware-based traversal coprocessor provides acceleration of tree traversal operations searching for intersections between primitives represented in a tree data structure and a ray. The primitives may include opaque and alpha triangles used in generating a virtual scene. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to determine primitives intersected by the ray, and return intersection information to a streaming multiprocessor for further processing. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to omit reporting of one or more primitives the ray is determined to intersect. The omitted primitives include primitives which are provably capable of being omitted without a functional impact on visualizing the virtual scene.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2023Publication date: July 27, 2023Inventors: Greg MUTHLER, Tero KARRAS, Samuli LAINE, William Parsons NEWHALL, JR., Ronald Charles BABICH, JR., John BURGESS, Ignacio LLAMAS
-
Patent number: 11704863Abstract: A hardware-based traversal coprocessor provides acceleration of tree traversal operations searching for intersections between primitives represented in a tree data structure and a ray. The primitives may include triangles used in generating a virtual scene. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to properly handle numerically challenging computations at or near edges and/or vertices of primitives and/or ensure that a single intersection is reported when a ray intersects a surface formed by primitives at or near edges and/or vertices of the primitives.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2022Date of Patent: July 18, 2023Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Samuli Laine, Tero Karras, Timo Aila, Robert Ohannessian, William Parsons Newhall, Jr., Greg Muthler, Ian Kwong, Peter Nelson, John Burgess
-
Patent number: 11675704Abstract: In a ray tracer, a cache for streaming workloads groups ray requests for coherent successive bounding volume hierarchy traversal operations by sending common data down an attached data path to all ray requests in the group at the same time or about the same time. Grouping the requests provides good performance with a smaller number of cache lines.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2021Date of Patent: June 13, 2023Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Greg Muthler, Timo Aila, Tero Karras, Samuli Laine, William Parsons Newhall, Jr., Ronald Charles Babich, Jr., John Burgess, Ignacio Llamas
-
Method for continued bounding volume hierarchy traversal on intersection without shader intervention
Patent number: 11645810Abstract: A hardware-based traversal coprocessor provides acceleration of tree traversal operations searching for intersections between primitives represented in a tree data structure and a ray. The primitives may include opaque and alpha triangles used in generating a virtual scene. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to determine primitives intersected by the ray, and return intersection information to a streaming multiprocessor for further processing. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to omit reporting of one or more primitives the ray is determined to intersect. The omitted primitives include primitives which are provably capable of being omitted without a functional impact on visualizing the virtual scene.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2021Date of Patent: May 9, 2023Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Greg Muthler, Tero Karras, Samuli Laine, William Parsons Newhall, Jr., Ronald Charles Babich, Jr., John Burgess, Ignacio Llamas -
Publication number: 20220392148Abstract: In a ray tracer, to prevent any long-running query from hanging the graphics processing unit, a traversal coprocessor provides a preemption mechanism that will allow rays to stop processing or time out early. The example non-limiting implementations described herein provide such a preemption mechanism, including a forward progress guarantee, and additional programmable timeout options that can be time or cycle based. Those programmable options provide a means for quality of service timing guarantees for applications such as virtual reality (VR) that have strict timing requirements.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2022Publication date: December 8, 2022Inventors: Greg Muthler, Ronald Charles Babich, JR., William Parsons Newhall, JR., Peter Nelson, James Robertson, John Burgess
-
Patent number: 11455768Abstract: In a ray tracer, to prevent any long-running query from hanging the graphics processing unit, a traversal coprocessor provides a preemption mechanism that will allow rays to stop processing or time out early. The example non-limiting implementations described herein provide such a preemption mechanism, including a forward progress guarantee, and additional programmable timeout options that can be time or cycle based. Those programmable options provide a means for quality of service timing guarantees for applications such as virtual reality (VR) that have strict timing requirements.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2020Date of Patent: September 27, 2022Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Greg Muthler, Ronald Charles Babich, Jr., William Parsons Newhall, Jr., Peter Nelson, James Robertson, John Burgess
-
Publication number: 20220230380Abstract: A hardware-based traversal coprocessor provides acceleration of tree traversal operations searching for intersections between primitives represented in a tree data structure and a ray. The primitives may include triangles used in generating a virtual scene. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to properly handle numerically challenging computations at or near edges and/or vertices of primitives and/or ensure that a single intersection is reported when a ray intersects a surface formed by primitives at or near edges and/or vertices of the primitives.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 8, 2022Publication date: July 21, 2022Inventors: Samuli Laine, Tero Karras, Timo Aila, Robert Ohannessian, William Parsons Newhall, JR., Greg Muthler, Ian Kwong, Peter Nelson, John Burgess
-
Patent number: 11328472Abstract: A hardware-based traversal coprocessor provides acceleration of tree traversal operations searching for intersections between primitives represented in a tree data structure and a ray. The primitives may include triangles used in generating a virtual scene. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to properly handle numerically challenging computations at or near edges and/or vertices of primitives and/or ensure that a single intersection is reported when a ray intersects a surface formed by primitives at or near edges and/or vertices of the primitives.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2020Date of Patent: May 10, 2022Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Samuli Laine, Tero Karras, Timo Aila, Robert Ohannessian, William Parsons Newhall, Jr., Greg Muthler, Ian Kwong, Peter Nelson, John Burgess
-
METHOD FOR CONTINUED BOUNDING VOLUME HIERARCHY TRAVERSAL ON INTERSECTION WITHOUT SHADER INTERVENTION
Publication number: 20220058856Abstract: A hardware-based traversal coprocessor provides acceleration of tree traversal operations searching for intersections between primitives represented in a tree data structure and a ray. The primitives may include opaque and alpha triangles used in generating a virtual scene. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to determine primitives intersected by the ray, and return intersection information to a streaming multiprocessor for further processing. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to omit reporting of one or more primitives the ray is determined to intersect. The omitted primitives include primitives which are provably capable of being omitted without a functional impact on visualizing the virtual scene.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2021Publication date: February 24, 2022Inventors: Greg Muthler, Tero Karras, Samuli Laine, William Parsons Newhall, JR., Ronald Charles Babich, JR., John Burgess, Ignacio Llamas -
Publication number: 20220027280Abstract: In a ray tracer, a cache for streaming workloads groups ray requests for coherent successive bounding volume hierarchy traversal operations by sending common data down an attached data path to all ray requests in the group at the same time or about the same time. Grouping the requests provides good performance with a smaller number of cache lines.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 23, 2021Publication date: January 27, 2022Inventors: Greg MUTHLER, Timo AILA, Tero KARRAS, Samuli LAINE, William Parsons NEWHALL, JR., Ronald Charles BABICH, JR., John BURGESS, Ignacio LLAMAS
-
Publication number: 20220020202Abstract: A hardware-based traversal coprocessor provides acceleration of tree traversal operations searching for intersections between primitives represented in a tree data structure and a ray. The primitives may include opaque and alpha triangles used in generating a virtual scene. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to determine primitives intersected by the ray, and return intersection information to a streaming multiprocessor for further processing. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to provide a deterministic result of intersected triangles regardless of the order that the memory subsystem returns triangle range blocks for processing, while opportunistically eliminating alpha intersections that lie further along the length of the ray than closer opaque intersections.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2021Publication date: January 20, 2022Inventors: Samuli LAINE, Tero KARRAS, Greg MUTHLER, William Parsons NEWHALL, Ronald Charles BABICH, Ignacio LLAMAS, John BURGESS
-
Method for continued bounding volume hierarchy traversal on intersection without shader intervention
Patent number: 11200725Abstract: A hardware-based traversal coprocessor provides acceleration of tree traversal operations searching for intersections between primitives represented in a tree data structure and a ray. The primitives may include opaque and alpha triangles used in generating a virtual scene. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to determine primitives intersected by the ray, and return intersection information to a streaming multiprocessor for further processing. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to omit reporting of one or more primitives the ray is determined to intersect. The omitted primitives include primitives which are provably capable of being omitted without a functional impact on visualizing the virtual scene.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2020Date of Patent: December 14, 2021Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Greg Muthler, Tero Karras, Samuli Laine, William Parsons Newhall, Jr., Ronald Charles Babich, Jr., John Burgess, Ignacio Llamas -
Patent number: 11164360Abstract: A hardware-based traversal coprocessor provides acceleration of tree traversal operations searching for intersections between primitives represented in a tree data structure and a ray. The primitives may include opaque and alpha triangles used in generating a virtual scene. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to determine primitives intersected by the ray, and return intersection information to a streaming multiprocessor for further processing. The hardware-based traversal coprocessor is configured to provide a deterministic result of intersected triangles regardless of the order that the memory subsystem returns triangle range blocks for processing, while opportunistically eliminating alpha intersections that lie further along the length of the ray than closer opaque intersections.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2020Date of Patent: November 2, 2021Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Samuli Laine, Tero Karras, Greg Muthler, William Parsons Newhall, Ronald Charles Babich, Ignacio Llamas, John Burgess
-
Patent number: 11157414Abstract: In a ray tracer, a cache for streaming workloads groups ray requests for coherent successive bounding volume hierarchy traversal operations by sending common data down an attached data path to all ray requests in the group at the same time or about the same time. Grouping the requests provides good performance with a smaller number of cache lines.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2018Date of Patent: October 26, 2021Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Greg Muthler, Timo Aila, Tero Karras, Samuli Laine, William Parsons Newhall, Jr., Ronald Charles Babich, Jr., John Burgess, Ignacio Llamas