Patents Assigned to ATI Technologies ULC
  • Patent number: 7868848
    Abstract: A method for displaying images on multiple monitors with different refresh rates is disclosed. To prevent screen tearing, the surface containing image data is not released when the access by the master monitor is completed until the slave monitor or monitors finish access. To synchronize images with a predefined playback speed, the surface containing a new image received from the application is not flipped onto the screens until receiving a predefined synchronization indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Jianing Dai, Wai Ki Lo, Peter X. Cao, Anand Dua
  • Patent number: 7869699
    Abstract: A mechanism is presented for editing a video stream as the stream is received, allowing real-time displaying and storing of the edited video stream without requiring the received video stream to first be recorded. The mechanism allows the selection of editing options prior to starting or during the record process. The mechanism can monitor the input video stream for specific characteristics and edit the video stream according to predefined editing options based on those characteristics and/or user inputs. Special effects can be intelligently selected based upon internal and external information about the video stream, for example, user actions, input source, and content information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Elena Mate, Jitesh Arora
  • Publication number: 20110001535
    Abstract: A pulsed latch circuit with conditional shutoff prevents an input node, such as a node receiving data, of the pulsed latch circuit, from latching data based on a delayed input control signal, such as an internal clocking signal, and based on a feedback latch state transition detection signal indicating that a current state of input data is stored in the latch. As such, two control conditions are used to shut down the latch. In one example, a condition generator detects when the latch has captured data correctly and outputs a signal to disable the input node. In addition, a variable delay circuit is used to adjust the width of the allowable input signal to set a worst case shutoff time. If data is latched early, a feedback latch state transition detection signal causes the input node to be disabled. If data is not latched early, the maximum allowable latch time is set by the variable delay circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Applicant: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Arun Iyer, Shibashish Patel, Animesh Jain
  • Patent number: 7861013
    Abstract: A method includes reducing power of a first graphics processor by disabling or not using its rendering engine and leaving a display engine of the same first graphics processor capable of outputting display frames from a corresponding first frame buffer to a display. A display frame is rendered by a second graphics processor while the rendering engine of the first graphics processor is in a reduced power state, such as a non-rendering state. The rendered frame is stored in a corresponding second frame buffer of the second graphics processor, such as a local frame buffer and copied from the second frame buffer to the first frame buffer. The copied frame in the first frame buffer is then displayed on a display while the rendering engine of the first graphics processor is in the reduced power state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: James D. Hunkins, Lawrence J. King, Syed A. Hussain
  • Patent number: 7861007
    Abstract: The present invention provides for a method and apparatus for multimedia display in a mobile device including a multimedia processor capable of generating a multimedia display output. The method and apparatus further includes a multimedia display buffer and a camera interface coupled to the multimedia processor, wherein the multimedia processor is capable of receiving a captured image from a camera. The method and apparatus further includes a multimedia device interface that is capable of receiving an encoded multimedia display command encoded in a multimedia device interface command protocol. Thereupon, the encoded multimedia display command is generated, such that the multi-media processor can generate the multimedia display output and provide the multimedia display output to the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventor: Milivoje Aleksic
  • Publication number: 20100322318
    Abstract: A video decoder (10) with reduced power consumption includes a power management controller (45) that is operative to select one of a plurality of different power consumption states for a video decoder (10), and, in response to the determination, vary power consumption of at least one operational portion of the video decoder (10). In addition, in one example, a method (200) for reducing power consumption for a video decoder (10) includes determining input stream encoding description data (34) to select one of a plurality of different power consumption states for a video decoder (10) and, in response to the determination, varying power consumption of at least one operational portion of the video decoder (10).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Applicant: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Greg Sadowski, George Jacobs, Paul Chow
  • Patent number: 7850490
    Abstract: An electrical connector, such as a circuit board connector, includes a housing having therein a divided multi-connector element. The electrical connector is adapted to electrically connect with a substrate, such as a circuit board. The divided multi-connector element includes a divided electrical contact configuration that includes a first group or subassembly of electrical contacts physically separate from an adjacent and second group or subassembly of contacts. The first group of electrical contacts and second group of electrical contacts each include a row of lower contacts and upper contacts. The second group of electrical contacts has an identical but mirrored configuration as the first group of electrical contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventor: James D. Hunkins
  • Patent number: 7847803
    Abstract: The present invention provides for programmable interleaved graphics processing. The invention provides an execution pipeline and a number of registers. Each register holds instructions from a separate program. Instructions from the registers are interleaved in the execution pipeline such that the average latency is one instruction per cycle. This is accomplished even when there is conditional branching and execution latency. When one instruction has a dependency based on execution of a previous instruction, that second instruction is not provided to the execution pipeline until completion of the first instruction. However, in the meantime interleaved instructions from other programs are still being executed while the first instruction of the first program is executing. Thus the pipeline is always full and the processor is always working at peak capacity. The automatic interleaving of instructions permits simplified graphics software routines to be written.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventor: Timothy J. Van Hook
  • Publication number: 20100293402
    Abstract: Many computing device may now include two or more graphics subsystems. The multiple graphics subsystems may have different abilities, and may, for example, consume differing amount of electrical power, with one subsystem consuming more average power than the others. The higher power consuming graphics subsystem may be coupled to the device and used instead of, or in addition to, the lower power consuming graphics subsystem, resulting in higher performance or additional capabilities, but increased overall power consumption. By transitioning from the use of the higher power consuming graphics subsystem to the lower power consuming graphics subsystem, while placing the higher power consuming graphics subsystem in a lower power consumption mode, overall power consumption is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Applicant: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Sasa Marinkovic, Phil Mummah, Mingwei Chien, Michael Tresidder, Roumen Saltchev, George Xie, Jason Long
  • Patent number: 7832106
    Abstract: A candle cutter may include a case having an outer surface and in inner surface, which may form an inner cavity. The outer surface may have one or more outer surface slots and the inner surface may have one or more inner surface slots. The candle cutter may further include a cutting assembly that meshes with the case and moves through the inner cavity for the purpose of cutting the object therein, such as a candle. The movement may be pivotal if the cutting assembly is attached to a pivot point. The movement of the cutting assembly may not be pivotal. For example, it may be controlled by guide means, such as guide rods. Some embodiments may include features such a clamping mechanism, a case handle, a locking mechanism, a bottom container, handles or knobs, and/or a detachable blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventor: Berlando Drake
  • Patent number: 7827424
    Abstract: A variable clock control information generator receives vertical blank interval information corresponding to a vertical blank interval (VBI) during display rasterization. The vertical blank interval is a period of time in a video display signal that temporarily suspends transmission of video data as is known during display rasterization, to allow a display to return back up to (retrace) the first line of the display after scanning the end of the display. In response to the received vertical blank interval information, the variable clock control information generator produces memory clock control information to change the frequency of a memory clock divider signal during the detected vertical blank interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventor: Mikhail Bounitch
  • Publication number: 20100271503
    Abstract: A method includes determining white balance calibration color ratios for a plurality of illumination sources by using a representative camera of a given type to establish a set of ratios. Because the ratios are fixed for the given camera type, a plurality of cameras of the type may store the fixed ratios, and calibrate by measuring only the reference illumination source. Later white balancing is achieved by using the measured reference illumination source color ratios and the stored fixed ratios as scaling factors to map from the reference illumination source to any other illumination source. The method includes an off-line advance calibration procedure to obtain the fixed ratios, an on-line per camera calibration procedure to obtain color ratios for the reference source, and subsequent white balancing which uses the fixed ratios/scaling factors and the reference source color ratios.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2009
    Publication date: October 28, 2010
    Applicant: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Reza Safaee-Rad, Milivoje Aleksic
  • Patent number: 7822277
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for communicating compressed video information includes storing video information compressed based on a first compression method, such as a method with a high compression ratio, and transcoding the compressed video information to produce corresponding recompressed video information that is based on a second compression method, with a lower compression ratio such as standard JPEG compression or other suitable compression. The method and apparatus, if desired, may include sending the recompressed video information for a destination apparatus which may then suitably decompress the video information using a standard decompression technique. For example, storing the compressed image in a high compressed format, for example, in a piecewise basis may be done online while the camera, for example, is in use so that the image is properly captured and then, transcoding the compressed image to a different level of compression while the camera is offline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventor: Milivoje Aleksic
  • Publication number: 20100259676
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for detecting text information in a video signal that includes subtitles, captions, credits, or other text, and also for applying enhancements to the display of text areas in video. The sharpness and/or contrast ratio of subtitles of detected text areas may be improved. Text areas may be displayed in a magnified form in a separate window on a display, or on a secondary display. Further disclosed are methods and apparatus for extending the duration for which subtitles appear on the display, for organizing subtitles to be displayed in a scrolling format, for allowing the user to control when a subtitle advances to the next subtitle using a remote control, and for allowing a user to scroll back to a past subtitle in cases where the user has not finished reading a subtitle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: ATI TECHNOLOGIES ULC
    Inventor: Philip Swan
  • Publication number: 20100262746
    Abstract: An integrated circuit also referred to as an integrated computing system has a single substrate that has either deposited thereon or etched thereon, a central processing unit, a north bridge, a south bridge, and a graphics controller. An internal bus is coupled between the north bridge and the central processing unit. The central processing unit and north bridge do not require interfaces to perform bus protocol conversions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: ATI TECHNOLOGIES ULC
    Inventors: Adrian Sfarti, Korbin Van Dyke, Michael Frank, Arkadi Avrukin
  • Publication number: 20100260296
    Abstract: Systems and methods for synchronizing a source and sink device are disclosed. A sink device can efficiently determine the source data rate even in cases where the sink device is not directly coupled to the source device. A method for transmitting a source data stream from a source device to a sink device includes, forming a logical channel from a source device to a sink device, where the logical channel is configured to carry the source data stream, and one or more rate parameters. The rate parameters relate a data rate of the source data stream to a data rate of the logical channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Nicholas J. CHORNEY, Collis Q. CARTER
  • Publication number: 20100262893
    Abstract: Control symbols taking the form {k1-k2-k2-k1} are inserted in a serial stream including m bit data words. k1 and k2 are each predefined m bit control words differing from the m bit data words. The Hamming distance between k1 and k2 is at least 2. Such control symbols may be robustly detected in the presence of a one bit error in the symbol, or a data word immediately preceding or following the symbol. The m bit words may be 8B/10B encoded data, or defined control words. The control symbols may be used for data delineation, stream synchronizaiton, transmitter/receiver synchronization or for other control signalling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2008
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Collis Q. Carter, Nicholas J. Chorney, James R. Goodman
  • Patent number: 7812884
    Abstract: A de-interlacer includes recursive motion history map generating circuitry operative to determine a motion value associated with one or more pixels in interlaced fields based on pixel intensity information from at least two neighboring same polarity fields. The recursive motion history map generating circuitry generates a motion history map containing recursively generated motion history values for use in de-interlacing interlaced fields wherein the recursively generated motion history values are based, at least in part, on a decay function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Daniel W. Wong, Philip L. Swan, Daniel Doswald
  • Publication number: 20100254605
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for detecting moving text in video comprising receiving consecutive frames from a video stream, extracting a sequence of pixels from the consecutive frames, categorizing the pixels, thinning the pixels, correlating corresponding thinned pixels in the frames, identifying the peaks that are equal to or exceed a threshold, and performing further processing on the peaks to determine if the peaks contain moving text.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2009
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Applicant: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventor: Gordon F. Wredenhagen
  • Patent number: 7809992
    Abstract: A monitoring device and method are provided to monitor a separate device for malfunctions and to control and restore the malfunctioning monitored device to a normal functioning state. A malfunction state includes the monitored device being powered off or in a standby power state. The monitoring device includes control logic operative to determine a malfunction state of the monitored device and to control a reapplication of power to the monitored device to reboot the monitored device based on the determined malfunction state of the monitored device. The method for monitoring and controlling the monitored device comprises the steps of: determining a malfunction state of the monitored device; and controlling a reapplication of power to the monitored device to reboot the monitored device based on the determined malfunction state of the monitored device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Ara Kulidjian, Valeri L. Kirischian, Thomas D. Perry