Z Buffer (depth Buffer) Patents (Class 345/422)
  • Patent number: 11934313
    Abstract: A system including a plurality of processor cores, a plurality of graphics processing units, a plurality of peripheral circuits, and a plurality of memory controllers is configured to support scaling of the system using a unified memory architecture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Per H. Hammarlund, Lior Zimet, James Vash, Gaurav Garg, Sergio Kolor, Harshavardhan Kaushikkar, Ramesh B. Gunna, Steven R. Hutsell
  • Patent number: 11928779
    Abstract: Various implementations disclosed herein generate a mesh representing the surfaces in a physical environment. The mesh is generated using multi-resolution voxels based on detected depth information, e.g., from a depth camera. The techniques may use multiple hash tables to store the multi-resolution voxel data. For example, the hash tables may store each voxel's 3D position and a truncated signed distance field (TSDF) value corresponding to each voxels' distance to a nearest surface. Each of the multiple hash tables may include data corresponding to a different level of resolution and those resolutions may depend upon distance/noise or other factors. For example, voxels close to a depth camera may have a finer resolution and smaller size compared to voxels that are further from the depth camera. Techniques disclosed herein may involve using a meshing algorithm that combines multi-resolution voxel information stored in multiple hash tables to generate a single mesh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Maxime Meilland, Andrew Predoehl, Kyle L. Simek, Ming Chuang, Pedro A. Pinies Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 11927634
    Abstract: A method and a memory device are provided. Data is obtained for a scan operation at an input buffer of a scan kernel in the memory device. The input buffer is adaptable to a first mode and a second mode of the scan kernel. Preprocessing of the data from the input buffer is performed to generate preprocessed data. A different type of preprocessing is performed for the first mode and the second mode. The preprocessed data is filtered to generate a filtered result. The filtered result is provided from the scan kernel to a controller of the memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Andrew Chang, Jingchi Yang, Vinit Apte, Brian Luu
  • Patent number: 11915363
    Abstract: A tag buffer implements a tag buffer stage of a rasterization phase in a tile-based rendering graphics processing system having a rendering space sub-divided into a plurality of tiles to which primitives can be associated. A buffer stores an identifier that identifies a visible primitive fragment at each sample position of a tile of the plurality of tiles. A look-up table stores an entry for transformed primitive blocks that indicates whether the tag buffer has received information identifying a primitive fragment associated with that transformed primitive block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Robert Brigg, John W. Howson, Xile Yang
  • Patent number: 11915359
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods for implementing kernel software driven color remapping of rendered primary surfaces are disclosed. A system includes at least a general processor, a graphics processor, and a memory. The general processor executes a user-mode application, a user-mode driver, and a kernel-mode driver. A primary surface is rendered on the graphics processor on behalf of the user-mode application. The primary surface is stored in memory locations allocated for the primary surface by the user-mode driver and the kernel-mode driver is notified when the primary surface is ready to be displayed. Rather than displaying the primary surface, the kernel-mode driver causes the pixels of the primary surface to be remapped on the graphics processor using a selected lookup table (LUT) so as to generate a remapped surface which stored in memory locations allocated for the remapped surface by the user-mode driver. Then, the remapped surface is displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignees: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Jason Wen-Tse Wu, Parimalkumar Patel, Jia Hui Li, Chao Zhan
  • Patent number: 11887239
    Abstract: A system provides the ability to import large engineering 3D models from a primary 3D rendering software into a secondary 3D rendering software that does not have the tools of the resources to render the larger 3D model on its own. The system uses a plugin to combine 3D data from the two software sources, and then return the combined 3D data to the secondary 3D rendering software. Components of the system can be remote or cloud based, and the system facilitates video streaming of 3D rendered models that can be manipulated on any computer capable of supporting a video stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: AVEVA Software, LLC
    Inventors: David Matthew Stevenson, Chase Laurendine, Paul Antony Burton
  • Patent number: 11887274
    Abstract: An image dataset comprising pixel depth arrays might be processed by an interpolator, wherein interpolation is based on pixel samples. Input pixels to be interpolated from and an interpolated pixel might comprise deep pixels, each represented with a list of samples. Accumulation curves might be generated from each input pixel, weights applied, and accumulation curves combined to form an interpolation accumulation curve. An interpolated deep pixel can be derived from the interpolation accumulation curve, taking into account zero-depth samples as needed. Samples might represent color values of pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Unity Technologies SF
    Inventor: Peter M. Hillman
  • Patent number: 11869113
    Abstract: Apparatuses including general-purpose graphics processing units and graphics multiprocessors that exploit queues or transitional buffers for improved low-latency high-bandwidth on-die data retrieval are disclosed. In one embodiment, a graphics multiprocessor includes at least one compute engine to provide a request, a queue or transitional buffer, and logic coupled to the queue or transitional buffer. The logic is configured to cause a request to be transferred to a queue or transitional buffer for temporary storage without processing the request and to determine whether the queue or transitional buffer has a predetermined amount of storage capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Aravindh Anantaraman, Altug Koker, Varghese George, Subramaniam Maiyuran, SungYe Kim, Valentin Andrei
  • Patent number: 11869172
    Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed for generating lens blur effects. The disclosed systems and methods comprise receiving a request to apply a lens blur effect to an image, the request identifying an input image and a first disparity map, generating a plurality of disparity maps and a plurality of distance maps based on the first disparity map, splatting influences of pixels of the input image using a plurality of reshaped kernel gradients, gathering aggregations of the splatted influences, and determining a lens blur for a first pixel of the input image in an output image based on the gathered aggregations of the splatted influences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Adobe Inc.
    Inventors: Haiting Lin, Yumin Jia, Jen-Chan Chien
  • Patent number: 11847733
    Abstract: A ray (e.g., a traced path of light, etc.) is generated from an originating pixel within a scene being rendered. Additionally, one or more shadow map lookups are performed for the originating pixel to estimate an intersection of the ray with alpha-tested geometry within the scene. A shadow map stores the distance of geometry as seen from the point of view of the light, and alpha-tested geometry includes objects within the scene being rendered that have a determined texture and opacity. Further, the one or more shadow map lookups are performed to determine a visibility value for the pixel (e.g., that identifies whether the originating pixel is in a shadow) and a distance value for the pixel (e.g., that identifies how far the pixel is from the light). Further still, the visibility value and the distance value for the pixel are passed to a denoiser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jon Story, Holger Heinrich Gruen
  • Patent number: 11830144
    Abstract: A graphics processing system includes a tiling unit configured to tile a first view of a scene into a plurality of tiles, a processing unit configured to identify a first subset of the tiles that are associated with regions of the scene that are viewable in a second view, and a rendering unit configured to render to a render target each of the identified tiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Simon Fenney, Michael Worcester, Stuart Smith
  • Patent number: 11815876
    Abstract: The invention relates to method and system for automatic identification of a primary manufacturing process (PMP) from a three-dimensional (3D) model of a product. The method includes generating a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of views of the product based on the 3D model of the product; determining a plurality of confidence score vectors, based on the plurality of images, using a first Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model; determining an aggregate confidence score vector, representing a pre-defined PMP category with maximum frequency, based on the plurality of confidence score vectors; extracting a set of manufacturing parameters associated with the product, based on the 3D model of the product; and identifying the PMP based on the aggregate confidence score vector and the set of manufacturing parameters, using a second ANN model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: HCL Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Dhiraj Suvarna, Christine Zuzart
  • Patent number: 11807096
    Abstract: A display device for a vehicle includes: a first image control section that displays a first entire image in a certain entire display region; a second image control section that displays a second entire image that is changed from the first entire image in the certain entire display region; and an intermediate image control section that displays a single intermediate entire image indicating an intermediate stage of a change between the first entire image and the second entire image in the certain entire display region. The second image control section displays a final display state in which a certain mark is displayed in a certain portion within the certain display region as the second entire image. The intermediate image control section displays the intermediate entire image having an afterimage of the certain mark being extended in a track direction on a track of the certain mark moving to the certain portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junya Nakano, Kazuhiro Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 11798223
    Abstract: A method of determining a potentially visible set (PVS) includes: dividing a map area into a plurality of detection point areas, the map area corresponding to a movable range of a virtual object in a virtual environment; replacing a map material of a three-dimensional (3D) object in a detection point area with a single-colored material, color identifiers of single-colored materials corresponding to all of 3D objects included in the virtual environment being different; determining at least one detection point in the detection point area; performing rendering to obtain a cubemap corresponding to the at least one detection point, and determining a target color identifier of a single color appearing on the cubemap; and adding a 3D object corresponding to the target color identifier to a PVS of the detection point area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Hai Quan Li, Gui Xiong Lai
  • Patent number: 11783537
    Abstract: A rendering system comprises a host device disposed in communication with one or more rendering pipelines. Each rendering pipeline comprises a rendering device and a display device. Each display device enables one or more users to view a scene rendered on the host device. Each rendering pipeline provides the user with independent control of their perspective of the scene. The host device receives a CG camera definition from each rendering pipeline and uses it to perform geometry culling and creates a z-buffer for each rendering pipeline. For each rendering pipeline, the rendering device receives a z-buffer and renders a frame buffer for the display device. This architecture reduces the rendering power requirements of the rendering device for each rendering pipeline as compared to performing all rendering on the rendering device, and is particularly useful when multiple users are viewing a complex scene such as a high fidelity simulation environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Holochip Corporation
    Inventors: Steven Winston, Samuel T. Robinson, Robert G. Batchko
  • Patent number: 11783536
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a method and apparatus for processing occlusion in an image, a device, and a computer storage medium. The method includes: determining a current viewpoint parameter used for drawing a current image frame; obtaining a predicted depth map matching the current viewpoint parameter as a target depth map of the current image frame; and determining an occlusion culling result of an object in the current image frame according to the target depth map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited
    Inventor: Jiangjun Tang
  • Patent number: 11769464
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method, a computer system configured to perform the method, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are provided comprising instructions for executing the method are provided. The computer-implemented method comprises obtaining input video data including frames of input image data comprising first image data values expressed in an input color space. The first image data values are processed with a first and second color space conversion process to generate first processed image data and second processed image data respectively. The first processed image data and the second processed image data include image data values expressed in an output color space. Output image data is derived from both the first processed image data and the second processed image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: ARM LIMITED
    Inventors: Maxim Novikov, Yanxiang Wang, Damian Piotr Modrzyk
  • Patent number: 11762461
    Abstract: A method for updating information for a graphics pipeline including executing in the first frame period an application on a CPU to generate primitives of a scene for a first video frame. Gaze tracking information is received in a second frame period for an eye of a user. In the second frame period a landing point on an HMD display is predicted at the CPU based at least on the gaze tracking information. A late update of the predicted landing point to a buffer accessible by the GPU is performed in the second frame period. Shader operations are performed in the GPU in the second frame period to generate pixel data based on the primitives and based on the predicted landing point, wherein the pixel data is stored into a frame buffer. The pixel data is scanned out in the third frame period from the frame buffer to the HMD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Young, Javier Fernandez Rico
  • Patent number: 11763459
    Abstract: Systems and methods for processing spatial structure data are provided. The system accesses spatial structure data, which describes object structure, and which has depth information indicative of a plurality of layers for the object structure. The system further extracts, from the spatial structure data, a portion of the spatial structure data representative of one layer of the plurality of layers. The system identifies, from the portion of the spatial structure data, a plurality of vertices that describe a contour of the layer. Additionally, the system identifies convex corners of the layer based on the plurality of vertices and performs object recognition according to the convex corners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: MUJIN, INC.
    Inventors: Jinze Yu, Xutao Ye
  • Patent number: 11731050
    Abstract: A method for executing a game by a computing system that uses a central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) for generating video frames. A draw call is generated for a video frame by the CPU. At bind time, i.e. writing of the GPU commands by the CPU using a GPU API, asset aware data (AAD) is written to the command buffer, and loading of one or more level of detail (LOD) data from an asset store to system memory is requested. The GPU executes the draw call for the frame using LOD data written to the system memory, the GPU using at least a minimum of LOD data based on the AAD. Additionally, the GPU uses information regarding the LOD load state when executing the draw call, in order to avoid access to LODs not yet loaded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Mark E. Cerny
  • Patent number: 11714476
    Abstract: A multiple graphics processing unit (GPU) based parallel graphics system comprising multiple graphics processing pipelines with multiple GPUs supporting a parallel graphics rendering process having an object division mode of operation. Each GPU comprises video memory, a geometry processing subsystem and a pixel processing subsystem. According to the principles of the present invention, pixel (color and z depth) data buffered in the video memory of each GPU is communicated to the video memory of a primary GPU, and the video memory and the pixel processing subsystem in the primary GPU are used to carry out the image recomposition process, without the need for dedicated or specialized apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventor: Reuven Bakalash
  • Patent number: 11706395
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an apparatus and a method for selecting camera providing input images to synthesize virtual view images. According to the present disclosure, A method of selecting a camera providing as input image to synthesize a virtual view image, the method may comprise, for a camera providing an input image, determining whether or not the camera is comprised in a field of view (FoV) at a virtual view position and in response to the camera determined to be comprised in the field of view, selecting the camera to synthesize the virtual image, wherein the determining determines, by way of comparison, whether or not a direction from the virtual view position to a position of the camera is in the FoV at the virtual view position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Sang Woon Kwak, Joung Il Yun, Young Ju Jeong
  • Patent number: 11699258
    Abstract: Methods and graphics processing systems render primitives using a rendering space which is subdivided into a plurality of regions. Geometry processing logic performs a geometry processing phase which determines, for each of a plurality of primitives which are present in a region, whether the primitive totally covers the region; and stores data for the primitives which are present in the region, wherein the stored data comprises, for each of the primitives which are determined to totally cover the region, data to indicate total coverage of the region. Rendering logic performs a rendering phase for rendering primitives within the region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Xile Yang, Robert Brigg
  • Patent number: 11657565
    Abstract: A method and system is provided for culling hidden objects in a tile-based graphics system before they are indicated in a display list for a tile. A rendering space is divided into a plurality of regions which may for example be a plurality of tiles or a plurality of areas into which one or more tiles are divided. Depth thresholds for the regions, which are used to identify hidden objects for culling, are updated when an object entirely covers a region and in dependence on a comparison between a depth value for the object and the depth threshold for the region. For example, if the depth threshold is a maximum depth threshold, the depth threshold may be updated if an object entirely covers the tile and the maximum depth value of the object is less than the maximum depth threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Xile Yang, John W. Howson, Simon Fenney
  • Patent number: 11640691
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a computing system may access surfaces and texel data of an artificial reality scene. The surfaces may be generated based on a first viewing position of a viewer. The system may determine tiles on a display to test for a visibility of the surfaces from a second viewing position. The tiles may include first tiles that need more computational resources and second tiles that need less computational resources. The system may determine a tile order which interleaves the first and second tiles. The system may generate rays based on the tile order. The system may determine the visibility of the surfaces from the second viewing position based on the ray-surface intersections. The system may generate color values of a subframe based on the surface visibility and the texel data. The system may provide the color values to the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Larry Seiler, Alexander Nankervis, Warren Andrew Hunt
  • Patent number: 11615585
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide for a technique to improve the culling efficiency of coarse depth testing. One embodiment provides for a graphics processor that includes a depth pipeline that is configured to perform a method to track a history of source fragments that are tested against a destination tile. When a combination of partial fragments sum to full coverage, the most conservative source far depth value is used instead of the previous destination far depth value. When the combination sums to partial coverage, the previous destination far depth value is retained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Saikat Mandal, Vasanth Ranganathan
  • Patent number: 11587290
    Abstract: A graphics processing system includes a tiling unit configured to tile a first view of a scene into a plurality of tiles, a processing unit configured to identify a first subset of the tiles that are associated with regions of the scene that are viewable in a second view, and a rendering unit configured to render to a render target each of the identified tiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Simon Fenney, Michael Worcester, Stuart Smith
  • Patent number: 11562529
    Abstract: A method includes generating a depth map of a real environment as seen from a viewpoint that comprises pixels having corresponding depth values of one or more physical objects. Based on the depth map a two-dimensional occlusion surface is generated representing at least a visible portion of the one or more physical objects that are located within a predetermined depth range defined relative to the viewpoint. The two-dimensional occlusion surface is posed in a three-dimensional coordinate system such that the two-dimensional occlusion surface is located at a predetermined distance from the viewpoint. The visibility of a virtual object is determined relative to the one or more physical objects by comparing a model of the virtual object with the two-dimensional occlusion surface, and an output image is generated based on the visibility of the virtual object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gregory Mayo Daly, Nicholas McGee
  • Patent number: 11557060
    Abstract: According to at least one aspect, a system for scanning an object is provided. The system comprises at least one hardware processor; and at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing processor executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, cause the at least one hardware processor to perform: generating a first 3-dimensional (3D) model of the object; identifying a set of imaging positions from which to capture at least one image based on the first 3D model of the object; obtaining a set of images of the object captured at, or approximately at, the set of imaging positions; and generating a second 3D model of the object based on the set of images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Wayfair LLC
    Inventor: Michael Silvio Festa
  • Patent number: 11550387
    Abstract: Methods, systems, devices and computer software/program code products enable efficiently finding stereo correspondence between a feature or set of features in a first image or signal, and a search domain in a second image or signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: MINE ONE GMBH
    Inventors: James A. McCombe, Christoph Birkhold
  • Patent number: 11551383
    Abstract: Provided are an image generating apparatus, an image generating method, and a program that are capable of saving the storage capacity of a frame buffer for storing pixel values of pixels determined in advance to have a predetermined value as their pixel values. An acquisition management data storing unit stores acquisition management data. A pixel value storing unit stores a pixel value of a pixel determined to have a pixel value acquired from the pixel value storing unit. An acquisition determining unit determines, based on the acquisition management data, whether or not to acquire a pixel value of each of pixels from the pixel value storing unit. A pixel value determining unit determines, with regard to the pixel determined to have the pixel value acquired from the pixel value storing unit, a pixel value acquired from the pixel value storing unit as the pixel value of the pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Kenichiro Yokota
  • Patent number: 11537398
    Abstract: Method, apparatus, and program means for performing a string comparison operation. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes execution resources to execute a first instruction. In response to the first instruction, said execution resources store a result of a comparison between each data element of a first and second operand corresponding to a first and second text string, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Julier, Jeffrey D. Gray, Srinivas Chennupaty, Sean P. Mirkes, Mark P. Seconi
  • Patent number: 11535184
    Abstract: A method for operating an occupant protection device of a vehicle involves triggering an occupant protection mechanism, in the event of an imminent detected collision for the vehicle or of a detected collision of the vehicle. The triggering also depends upon detected image data of at least one interior camera of the vehicle and the triggering can be suppressed based on the detected image data of the interior camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: MERCEDES-BENZ GROUP AG
    Inventors: Till Heinrich, Jochen Feese
  • Patent number: 11527035
    Abstract: Real time ray tracing-based adaptive multi frequency shading. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprising: rasterization hardware logic to process input data for an image in a deferred rendering pass and to responsively update one or more graphics buffers with first data to be used in a subsequent rendering pass; ray tracing hardware logic to perform ray tracing operations using the first data to generate reflection ray data and to store the reflection ray data in a reflection buffer; and image rendering circuitry to perform texture sampling in a texture buffer based on the reflection ray data in the reflection buffer to render an output image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Carson Brownlee, Gabor Liktor, Joshua Barczak, Kai Xiao, Michael Apodaca, Thomas Raoux
  • Patent number: 11527040
    Abstract: A method and system for culling a patch of surface data from one or more tiles in a tile based computer graphics system. A rendering space is divided into a plurality of tiles and a patch of surface data read. Then, at least a portion of the patch is analysed to determine data representing a bounding depth value evaluated over at least one tile. This may comprise tessellating the patch of surface data to derive a plurality of tessellated primitives and analysing at least some of the tessellated primitives. For each tile within which the patch is located, the data representing the bounding depth value is then used to determine whether the patch is hidden in the tile, and at least a portion of the patch is rendered, if the patch is determined not to be hidden in at least one tile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Steven J. Fishwick, John W. Howson
  • Patent number: 11497998
    Abstract: A social game capable of adding or improving unexpectedness, dramatic impact, and taste when a reward is provided to a player, and hence capable of raising the player's motivation to participate in or continue the game. A unit for storing information related to a game in which multiple players can participate stores a reward providing condition, rewards, and reward box information, and a control unit for accessing information related to the game, performing computation on the game, and displaying images of the game on terminal devices operated by players allocates at least one reward out of the rewards to the reward box, determines whether the reward providing condition is met based on match-up situations or match-up results between players and first game characters in the game, and displays, on the terminal devices, a screen for providing the reward to players based on the determination results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: GREE, Inc.
    Inventor: Naomichi Youda
  • Patent number: 11468621
    Abstract: One embodiment provides for a data processing system comprising a memory module to store a multisample render target, the multisample render target to store multiple sample locations for each pixel in a set of pixels and a general-purpose graphics processor including a hardware graphics rendering pipeline to generate pixel color data to be output to the multisample render target, a multisample antialiasing compressor to request allocation of one or more planes to store color data for a set of sample locations of a pixel in the set of pixels, and a memory allocator to allocate memory to store color data associated with the multisample render target. The memory allocator can merge a memory allocation for multiple pixels having a sample associated with a same color value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Abhishek R. Appu, Prasoonkumar Surti, Joydeep Ray, Michael J. Norris
  • Patent number: 11468630
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a cloud-based renderer and methods of rendering a scene on a computing system using a combination of raytracing and rasterization. In one example, a method of rendering a scene includes: (1) generating at least one raytracing acceleration structure from scene data of the scene, (2) selecting raytracing and rasterization algorithms for rendering the scene based on the scene data, and (3) rendering the scene utilizing a combination of the raytracing algorithms and the rasterization algorithms, wherein the rasterization algorithms utilize primitive cluster data from the raytracing acceleration structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Christoph Kubisch, Ziyad Hakura, Manuel Kraemer
  • Patent number: 11461915
    Abstract: Techniques and systems are provided for determining one or more sizes of one or more objects. For example, a bounding region identifying a first object detected in an image can be obtained. A map including map points can also be obtained. The map points correspond to one or more reference locations in a three-dimensional space. The bounding region identifying the first object can be associated with at least one map point of the map points included in the map. Using the bounding region and the at least one map point, an estimated three-dimensional position and an estimated size of the first object detected in the image can be determined. In some examples, other information can be used to estimate the estimated three-dimensional position and an estimated size of the first object, such as radar information and/or other information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Jayakrishnan Unnikrishnan, Avdhut Joshi, Shivam Agarwal, Yoga Y Nadaraajan, Amir Salimi, Urs Niesen, Sree Sesha Aravind Vadrevu, Gautam Sachdeva
  • Patent number: 11463678
    Abstract: A system for social interaction using a photo-realistic novel view of an event includes a multi-view reconstruction system for developing transmission data of the event a plurality of client-side rendering devices, each rendering device receiving the transmission data from the multi-view reconstruction system and rendering the transmission data as the photo-realistic novel view. A method of social interaction using a photo-realistic novel view of an event includes transmitting by a server side transmission data of the event; receiving by a first user on a first rendering device the data transmission; selecting by the first user a path for rendering on the first rendering device at least on novel view; rendering by the first rendering device the at least one novel view; and saving by the user on the first rendering device novel view date for the at least one novel view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Oren Haimovitch-Yogev, Matteo Shapira, Aviv Shapira, Diego Prilusky, Yaniv Ben Zvi, Adi Gilat
  • Patent number: 11436789
    Abstract: A system involves determining visually relevant design differences between a first three-dimensional model and a second three-dimensional model. The system has: a model receiving unit configured to receive the first three-dimensional model and the second three-dimensional model; a viewpoint defining unit configured to define one or more viewpoints from which the first three-dimensional model and the second three-dimensional model can be viewed; and a difference determining unit configured to determine visually relevant design differences between the first three-dimensional model and the second three-dimensional model from the one or more viewpoints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: TWIKIT NV
    Inventors: Martijn Joris, Olivier De Deken
  • Patent number: 11430178
    Abstract: A method and system for three-dimensional video content processing is disclosed comprising an operation of receiving first video data representing three-dimensional video content arranged as a plurality of first tiles associated with respective sub-areas of an image. Another operation comprises providing data indicating for each first tile a depth range of video content within said tile. Another operation comprises determining for each first tile a respective volume based on the depth range. Another operation comprises determining a field of view of a user in relation to the first tile volumes. Another operation comprises rendering of the first video data for one or more first tiles only if their determined volume is at least partially within the field of view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Johannes Pystynen, Kimmo Roimela, Mika Pesonen, Johannes Rajala
  • Patent number: 11423624
    Abstract: An augmented reality (AR) device can be configured to generate a virtual representation of a user's physical environment. The AR device can capture images of the user's physical environment to generate or identify a user's location. The AR device can project graphics at designated locations within the user's environment to guide the user to capture images of the user's physical environment. The AR device can provide visual, audible, or haptic guidance to direct the user of the AR device to explore the user's environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
    Inventors: Amy Dedonato, James Cameron Petty, Griffith Buckley Hazen, Jordan Alexander Cazamias, Karen Stolzenberg
  • Patent number: 11422963
    Abstract: An information handling system includes a compression client, a memory, and a SDXI hardware module. The compression client issues a compression request for a block of data that is uncompressed. The memory has multiple storage locations identified by addresses, which include a source address and a destination address. The SDXI hardware module performs compression of the block of data to create compressed data of the block of data. The SDXI hardware module determines whether an amount of the compression of the block of data is less than a threshold amount of compression. In response to the amount of the compression being less than the threshold amount of compression, the SDXI hardware module disregards the compressed data of the block of data, and utilizes the uncompressed block of data in a source address. The SDXI hardware module updates metadata for the block of data to indicate that data returned to compression client is uncompressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Shyamkumar Iyer, Andrew Butcher, Glen Sescila
  • Patent number: 11409276
    Abstract: A program for operating a robot, comprising providing, a user interface for controlling a robot, wherein the user interface is from the perspective of a recording device, applying, an overlay over the robot, wherein the overlay is visible through the user interface, enabling, a user to control the position and orientation of a robot, connecting a user device with a robot, converting a request from a user to alter the position and orientation of the robot, where the request is processed based on the requested position and orientation of the robot based on a target location determined by the recording device, detecting, the updated robot position and orientation through the recording device, and altering, the robot position and orientation based on a request from the user and the preserved overlay of the robot based on the new position and orientation based on the recording device perspective of the robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Inventor: Michael Isakov
  • Patent number: 11412198
    Abstract: A mechanism is described for facilitating monochrome bit depth coding. The apparatus comprises one or more processors to receive depth data and convert the depth data into color space data, including converting a first segment of the depth data into a monochrome component of the color space data and converting a second segment of the depth data into one or more color components of the color space data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Jill Boyce, Tzachi Hershkovich, Eyal Ruhm, Tzach Ashkenazi, Eli Turiel, Adam Kaplan
  • Patent number: 11372469
    Abstract: A multiple graphics processing unit (GPU) based parallel graphics system comprising multiple graphics processing pipelines with multiple GPUs supporting a parallel graphics rendering process having an object division mode of operation. Each GPU comprises video memory, a geometry processing subsystem and a pixel processing subsystem. According to the principles of the present invention, pixel (color and z depth) data buffered in the video memory of each GPU is communicated to the video memory of a primary GPU, and the video memory and the pixel processing subsystem in the primary GPU are used to carry out the image recomposition process, without the need for dedicated or specialized apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventor: Reuven Bakalash
  • Patent number: 11328481
    Abstract: Various implementations disclosed herein generate a mesh representing the surfaces in a physical environment. The mesh is generated using multi-resolution voxels based on detected depth information, e.g., from a depth camera. The techniques may use multiple hash tables to store the multi-resolution voxel data. For example, the hash tables may store each voxel's 3D position and a truncated signed distance field (TSDF) value corresponding to each voxels' distance to a nearest surface. Each of the multiple hash tables may include data corresponding to a different level of resolution and those resolutions may depend upon distance/noise or other factors. For example, voxels close to a depth camera may have a finer resolution and smaller size compared to voxels that are further from the depth camera. Techniques disclosed herein may involve using a meshing algorithm that combines multi-resolution voxel information stored in multiple hash tables to generate a single mesh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Maxime Meilland, Andrew Predoehl, Kyle L. Simek, Ming Chuang, Pedro A. Pinies Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 11315289
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and computer programs are disclosed. An example apparatus includes at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: signal a depth start of a patch data unit of a patch of data content based on an identifier of a tile and a patch index; wherein the depth start is used to derive a range of at least one depth value for the patch based on the patch index in a tile having the identifier; and signal a depth threshold of an immersive video extension of the patch data unit; wherein the depth threshold specifies a threshold below which an occupancy value is defined to be unoccupied for the patch based on the patch index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Kimmo Tapio Roimela, Vinod Kumar Malamal Vadakital, Lauri Ilola
  • Patent number: 11308690
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire volume data representing three-dimensional space using multiple voxels, data containing geometric layer and at least one attribute layer, geometric layer formed by geometric voxels included in multiple voxels, each geometric voxels assigned=a three-dimensional shape of a target object, at least one attribute layer formed by attribute voxels included in multiple voxels, each attribute voxels assigned attribute value of target object or attribute value around the target object, at least one attribute layer formed by voxels having multiple resolution levels, attribute, voxel position, and resolution level, and if voxel corresponding to the specified voxel position in an attribute layer corresponding to the attribute in the volume data and to a resolution level coinciding with the resolution level is absent, determine an attribute value of voxel corresponding to the specified voxel position and resolution level in attribute layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Tanaka, Yuki Yokoyama, Tomonari Takahashi