Z Buffer (depth Buffer) Patents (Class 345/422)
  • Patent number: 9547577
    Abstract: A method of determining the performance of a processor when processing a unit of data is described. The method comprises the steps of: receiving, at a first sample rate, information indicating the performance of the processor when processing the unit of data; generating an identifier that identifies the unit of data being processed; comparing the identifier with previous identifiers at a second sample rate; and outputting the identifier of the unit of data being processed and the performance information when, during the comparing step, a predetermined condition is met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited
    Inventors: Vincenzo Diesi, Lionel Lemarie, Paul Alexander Thomson
  • Patent number: 9542728
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus and method using a depth image are provided. The image processing apparatus may include a region determination unit to determine a foreground region and a background region in a color image using a depth image, and a color compensation unit to compensate a color with respect to the foreground region and the background region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hee Sae Lee, Sun Kwon Kim, Seung Kyu Lee
  • Patent number: 9530178
    Abstract: Methods and systems may provide for an apparatus having a graphics processing unit (GPU) and a non-volatile memory dedicated to the GPU. If a request for content is detected, a determination may be made as to whether the non-volatile memory contains the content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Adam W. Herr, Adam T. Lake, Ryan T. Tabrah
  • Patent number: 9508193
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and non-transitory tangible computer readable media thereof for creating a 3D scene are provided. The apparatus generates a height map according to a plurality of depth data of an image. The apparatus finds a first region of the height map, wherein the depth data within the first region change more greatly than the depth data outside the first region. The apparatus creates a plurality of grids on a plane according to the first region and generate a 3D mesh by morphing the height map with the grids of the plane. The plane and the height map are of the same size, a second region within the plane corresponds to the first region of the height map, and the grids inside the second region has a finer resolution than the grids outside the second region. The apparatus generates the 3D scene by mapping the image onto the 3D mesh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: HTC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Li-Cheng Chen, Huai-Che Lee, Jhih-Rong Chen, Yung-Chao Tseng, Hsin-Ti Chueh
  • Patent number: 9489710
    Abstract: This disclosure presents techniques and structures for graphics processing. In one example, a method of graphics processing may include rendering, with a graphics processing unit (GPU), one or more portions of a frame using one or more graphics operations, and writing, with the GPU, color data directly to a color buffer in a system memory in accordance with the one or more graphics operations. The method may further include writing, with the GPU, depth data to a depth buffer in a graphics memory in accordance with the one or more graphics operations, and resolving, with the GPU, the depth buffer in the graphics memory to the system memory when the rendering of the one or more portions of the frame is complete.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Tao Wang
  • Patent number: 9477997
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a system and methods for parallel processing of multiple processing job requests; the system may include a server for receiving a job request, an algorithm for segmenting the job request to a few sub jobs and a few processors for processing the few sub jobs in parallel. Each sub job contains a few frames to be processed by the job processors and the outputs of few job processors are combined into a single output. The invention further discloses methods for proportional allocation of job segments and an optimization algorithm to automatically assign job requests and to adapt the resources of the system to meet customers demand according to predefined criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: GOOPI SÀRL
    Inventors: Avishay Ben-Natan, Rami Bahar, Eran Tal
  • Patent number: 9471695
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to generating a sequence of images or other visual representations associated with an entity, otherwise known as a semantic image navigation experience. After an entity is selected, a set of sub-entities may be identified. Each sub-entity in the set has a containment relationship with the selected entity as well as at least one associated landmark and one associated pre-stored navigation experience. Then, a ranking order of the sub-entities in the set may be determined based on characteristics of each entity. Based on the determined ranking order, a subset of sub-entities may be selected. A semantic image navigation experience for the selected entity may then be generated using the pre-stored navigation experiences associated with the subset of sub-entities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: David Robert Gallup, Ricardo Martin Brualla, Steven Maxwell Seitz
  • Patent number: 9449118
    Abstract: A method for providing hybrid hidden-line processing for a plurality of polygons representing tessellated image data, wherein each polygon comprises a plurality of edges, is provided. The method includes generating a back-facing plate comprising polygons on a back-facing side of a silhouette of the tessellated image data and a front-facing plate comprising polygons on a front-facing side of the silhouette of the tessellated image data. The method includes tracing the edges and identifying at least one visibility change pixel in each of a subset of the traced edges. The method includes, for each visibility change pixel, determining whether the traced edge is from the same plate as a polygon corresponding to the visibility change pixel. The method includes, for each traced edge that is determined to be from the same plate as the polygon corresponding to the visibility change pixel, displaying the traced edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc.
    Inventors: Gary LaMont Marchant, Shailesh Ratnakar Karmalkar
  • Patent number: 9451233
    Abstract: The embodiments of the present invention relates to a method and a processor for representing a 3D scene. In the method, one 3D component of the 3D scene to be represented, captured at least three different views (v1, v2, v3) is projecting to a predefined view (vF). A value associated with each projected view regarding the 3D component is then determined and consistency among the projected views regarding the 3D component is detected. Moreover, a consistency value regarding the 3D component is determined based on the determined values associated with the respective projected view, and the determined values are replaced by the determined consistency value on at least one of the three projected 3D components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
    Inventors: Ivana Girdzijauskas, Markus Flierl, Apostolos Georgakis, Pravin Kumar Rana, Thomas Rusert
  • Patent number: 9437025
    Abstract: A system and method for compressing stencil data attendant to rendering an image. In one embodiment, the method includes: (1) selecting a base stencil value for a particular group, (2) selecting a single-bit delta value for each sample in the particular group and (3) storing the stencil base value and the delta values in a frame buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jeffrey A. Bolz
  • Patent number: 9418471
    Abstract: In accordance with some embodiments, a full per sample coverage mask may be used for a subset of the pixels in the tile, thereby enabling pixels that belong to multiple depth ranges to be handled. This makes the depth bounds a tighter fit for the true depth range of the tile and improves hierarchical depth culling efficiency when MSAA is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Jon N. Hasselgren, Magnus Andersson
  • Patent number: 9384581
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for enhancing a sequence of video images to add depth and presenting the enhanced images to the user through a lenticular lens arrangement on a display screen for viewing the enhanced images in three-dimensions (3D). The embodiments include the application of image enhancing algorithms which measure spatial and temporal differences between sequential images in an input video stream in order to measure depth within the images and produce one or more interleaved images with depth. Multiple sequential interleaved images may then be created in real-time as the images from the video stream are received, and the sequence of interleaved images may then be presented immediately as a video stream on a display fitted with a lenticular lens to effectively display a 3D video to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: AFFIRMATION, LLC
    Inventor: Hideshi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 9373190
    Abstract: A novel stereo reconstruction pipeline that features depth map alignment and outlier identification is provided. One example method includes obtaining a plurality of images depicting a scene. The method includes determining a pose for each of the plurality of images. The method includes determining a depth map for each of the plurality of images such that a plurality of depth maps are determined. Each of the plurality of depth maps describes a plurality of points in three-dimensional space that correspond to objects in the scene. The method includes aligning the plurality of depth maps by transforming one or more of the plurality of depth maps so as to improve an alignment between the plurality of depth maps. The method includes identifying one or more outlying points. The method includes generating a three-dimensional model of the scene based at least in part on the plurality of depth maps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaolin Wei, Aleksey Golovinskiy
  • Patent number: 9367953
    Abstract: When rendering a scene that includes a complex object made up of many individual primitives, rather than processing each primitive making up the object in turn, a bounding volume which surrounds the complex object is generated and the scene is then processed using the bounding volume in place of the actual primitives making up the complex object. If it is determined that the bounding volume representation of the object will be completely occluded in the scene (e.g. by a foreground object), then the individual primitives making up the complex object are not processed. This can save significantly on processing time and resources for the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: ARM Limited
    Inventors: Jørn Nystad, Borgar Ljosland, Edvard Sørgård
  • Patent number: 9361002
    Abstract: A method for providing an improved user navigation interface for an industrial control system. The system includes a computer and a display device and a computer implemented workplace application. The system also includes a plurality of process control interfaces displayed on the display device. The process control interfaces include one or more software objects for controlling and/or monitoring objects controlled by the control system. The method includes displaying in the user interface a set of the process control interfaces generated by one instance of the workplace application in a designated view that includes a corresponding set of graphic user interface objects. Each graphic user interface object identifies and, on selection, displays the corresponding the process control interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: ABB RESEARCH LTD.
    Inventors: Torgeir Enkerud, Kristoffer Husoy, Charlotte Skourup
  • Patent number: 9324182
    Abstract: Techniques for single pass radiosity from depth peels are described. In one or more embodiments, radiosity for frames of a graphics presentation is computed using depth peel techniques. This may occur by rendering geometry for a frame and then computing two depth peels per frame based on the geometry, which can be used to determine occlusion of secondary bounce lights as well as color and intensity of third bounce lights for radiosity. The two depth peels may be generated in a single rendering pass by reusing rejected geometry of a front depth peel as geometry for a back depth peel. The use of depth peels in this manner enables accelerated radiosity computations for photorealistic illumination of three dimensional graphics that may be performed dynamically at frame rates typical for real-time game play and other graphics presentations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Corrinne Yu
  • Patent number: 9324127
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a method for performing conservative rasterization in a processor comprising determining vertices of a primitive, defining edges of the primitive by determining a set of edge equations based on the determined vertices, wherein the edge equations are based on an edge shifting parameter plus an offset, determining pixels that touch the edges of the primitive using the determined edge equations, and rasterizing the primitive using the determined pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Ouns Mouri, Vineet Goel, Tao Wang
  • Patent number: 9286647
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for drawing graphical objects within a graphics processing pipeline is disclosed. The method includes determining that a bypass mode for a first primitive is a no-bypass mode. The method further includes rasterizing the first primitive to generate a first set of rasterization results. The method further includes generating a first set of colors for the first set of rasterization results via a pixel shader unit. The method further includes rasterizing a second primitive to generate a second set of rasterization results. The method further includes generating a second set of colors for the second set of rasterization results without the pixel shader unit performing any processing operations on the second set of rasterization results. The method further includes transmitting the first set of pixel colors and the second set of pixel colors to a raster operations (ROP) unit for further processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Eric B. Lum, Justin Cobb, Rui M. Bastos, Christian Rouet
  • Patent number: 9280846
    Abstract: A method for performing occlusion queries is disclosed. The method includes steps of: (a) a graphics processing unit (GPU) using a first depth buffer of a first frame to thereby predict a second depth buffer of a second frame; and (b) the GPU performing occlusion queries for the second frame by using the predicted second depth buffer, wherein the first frame is a frame predating the second frame. In accordance with the present invention, a configuration for classifying the objects into the occluders and the occludees is not required and the occlusion queries for the predicted second frame are acquired in advance at the last of the first frame or the first of the second frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignees: Center Of Human-Centered Interaction For Coexistence, Research & Business Foundation Sungkyunkwan University
    Inventors: Sung Kil Lee, Young Uk Kim
  • Patent number: 9272220
    Abstract: An application/game server comprising a central processing unit to process application/video game program code and a graphics processing unit (GPU) to process graphics commands and generate a series of video frames for the application/video game; one or more back buffers to store video frames as the video frames are being created in response to the execution of the graphics commands; a front buffer-outputting the video frame for display one scan line at a time at a designated scan out frequency, a subset of scan lines stored in the front buffer being associated with a vertical blanking interval (VBI); and a frame processing module to begin copying a newly completed frame from the back buffer to the front buffer before the video data for a prior video frame stored in the front buffer has not been fully scanned out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC
    Inventors: Douglas Sim Dietrich, Nico Benitez, Timothy Cotter
  • Patent number: 9245383
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to building volumetric data structures for intersection testing. For example, 3D data may be represented by points associated with triangles. The triangles may be rasterized to a 3D grid. Each cell of the grid may contain a set of triangles. The grid may be used to generate a new grid of larger grid cells, where each larger grid cell represents some portion of cells of the original grid. The triangle data from each new cell may then be encoded as a list of integers including the triangle data. The list of values may be run-length-encoded. The result is a single octree cube. This process may be repeated in order to generate additional octree cubes for the volumetric structure. The volumetric structure may then be used to identify triangles that intersect with a given ray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher S. Co
  • Patent number: 9245381
    Abstract: System, methods, and apparatus allow for creating translucent surfaces within a three-dimensional model. One or more implementations render a three-dimensional model of a layout of a design space within an architectural design environment. Additionally, one or more implementations identify a first portion of the three-dimensional model that is positioned behind a translucent surface within the three-dimensional model. Furthermore, one or more implementations render a visual distortion effect for the identified first portion of the three-dimensional model. Further still, one or more implementations display on a display device the three-dimensional model comprising the translucent surface, such that the three-dimensional model is displayed behind the translucent surface in a distorted form based on the rendered distortion effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: ICE EDGE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, LTD
    Inventor: Joseph S. Howell
  • Patent number: 9245329
    Abstract: A circuit renders computer graphics for an electronic display. The circuit includes a frame buffer to store a primitive for each pixel of the display, the primitive for each pixel being output to the display. The circuit includes a processor for storing the primitives in the frame buffer based on input primitives. The processor receives an input primitive in the same group as a corresponding stored primitive, determines whether the input primitive is within a threshold distance from the stored primitive, determines which of the input primitive and stored primitive is closer in depth to an observer of the display when the input primitive and the stored primitive are not within the threshold distance, and outputs the closer primitive to the frame buffer. The processor determines whether the input primitive and stored primitive has a higher priority when within the threshold distance and outputs the primitive with the higher priority.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: Russell J. Urry
  • Patent number: 9214006
    Abstract: Early depth test stages of a graphics processing pipeline broadcast information about fragments having conditional discard tests associated with them and that pass those early depth tests to other stages in the pipeline. The other stages in the pipeline use the early depth test pass information to determine if the processing of any fragments that they are currently processing can be slowed down. If a fragment that triggered the slowing down of the processing of fragments that are already in the pipeline passes all the conditional discard tests it is to be subjected to, a signal that triggers stopping of the processing of the fragments whose processing it had previously slowed down is sent. If the fragment fails a conditional discard test it is to be subjected to, a signal triggering the reviving of the processing of the fragments whose processing it had previously slowed down is sent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: ARM LIMITED
    Inventors: Frode Heggelund, Kenneth Ostby
  • Patent number: 9196081
    Abstract: Techniques may be directed to enhancing multiple view performance in a three dimensional pipeline. A plurality of view transformations associated with an image may be received. The vertex data associated with the image may be received. Operation data may be determined by performing the view transformations on the compiled vertex data. A plurality of display lists may be determined through a single run of a vertex pipeline. A display list may be based on the operation data. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Xianchao Xu, Lili Gong
  • Patent number: 9183668
    Abstract: Aspects comprise systems implementing 3-D graphics processing functionality in a multiprocessing system. Control flow structures are used in scheduling instances of computation in the multiprocessing system, where different points in the control flow structure serve as points where deferral of some instances of computation can be performed in favor of scheduling other instances of computation. In some examples, the control flow structure identifies particular tasks, such as intersection testing of a particular portion of an acceleration structure, and a particular element of shading code. In some examples, the aspects are used in 3-D graphics processing systems that can perform ray tracing based rendering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Luke T Peterson, James Alexander McCombe, Ryan R. Salsbury, Steven J Clohset
  • Patent number: 9170601
    Abstract: A decoding circuit includes a pre-trigger signal generating unit, a comparing unit, and a starting signal generating unit. The pre-trigger signal generating unit receives the former encoded data and generates a pre-trigger signal when the former encoded data of the received command matches the corresponding former encoded data of a predetermined command. The comparing unit generates a match signal when the latter encoded data of the received command is the same with the latter encoded data of the predetermined command. The starting signal generating unit outputs a starting signal according to the pre-trigger signal and the match signal. The starting signal starts a corresponding operation of the predetermined command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: MACRONIX INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yung-Feng Lin
  • Patent number: 9165348
    Abstract: Depth of field may be rasterized by culling half-space regions on a lens from which a triangle to be rendered is not visible. Then, inside tests are only performed on the remaining unculled half-space regions. Separating planes between the triangle to be rendered and the tile being processed can be used to define the half-space regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Robert M. Toth, Tomas G. Akenine-Moller, Carl J. Munkberg
  • Patent number: 9159161
    Abstract: A method of creating a two-dimensional representation of a model. The method includes receiving data corresponding to a first component and at least one second component of the model, defining a first component representation, defining the at least one second component representation, determining a visibility of the plurality of graphics of the first component representation, determining a visibility of the plurality of graphics of the at least one second component representation, defining a structure of the first component representation, defining a structure of the at least one second component representation, defining one or more display rules, and generating an illustration file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: John Thomas Collingwood, Stuart Alan Galt
  • Patent number: 9153025
    Abstract: Plane detection and tracking algorithms are described that may take point trajectories as input and provide as output a set of inter-image homographies. The inter-image homographies may, for example, be used to generate estimates for 3D camera motion, camera intrinsic parameters, and plane normals using a plane-based self-calibration algorithm. A plane detection and tracking algorithm may obtain a set of point trajectories for a set of images (e.g., a video sequence, or a set of still photographs). A 2D plane may be detected from the trajectories, and trajectories that follow the 2D plane through the images may be identified. The identified trajectories may be used to compute a set of inter-image homographies for the images as output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventors: Hailin Jin, Zihan Zhou
  • Patent number: 9153071
    Abstract: A game apparatus generates control point data for forming a contour of each part of a character, generates a line model of a body being a line polygon model along the body on the basis of the control point data, then generates a line model of a foot being a line polygon model along a contour of one foot, and arranged at the back of the line model of the body Bd in a Z direction, and generates a mask model of the body being a transparent polygon model arranged at the back of the line model of the body in the Z direction and in front of the line model of the foot in the Z direction, and having the contour along the line of the body. Then, when the respective models are depicted with a Z comparison performed after depicting a background, the mask model of the body, the line model of the foot, the line model of the body are depicted in this order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuo Matsumiya, Emi Watanabe, Yuhei Matsuda, Hironori Kuraoka
  • Patent number: 9146884
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a screen image may be divided into rectangles, and a capture component may track changed rectangles and capture the screen upon receiving an indication. For small screen updates, the capture rate may be set to ˜30 captures per second to provide a lower latency. As the screen update size increases, the capture rate may be decreased to match an allocated bandwidth. The capture rate may be increased when available bandwidth increases and decreased as bandwidth decreases. For example, the capture rate may be decreased when downstream back pressure meets predefined criteria. The capture rate change may be effected gradually to avoid jerks and jumps. Varying the capture rate by also enable audio/video synchronization with varying bandwidth variations. Some embodiments may be extended to multiple monitor solutions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: B. Anil Kumar, Charles Ogden, Asael Dror, Hao Zhang, Paul Johan Hsieh, Ricardo A. Baratto
  • Patent number: 9135743
    Abstract: A system, method and software application implement a visualization scheme for presenting information in a 3D map. A set of rules specifies the visualization scheme, particularly with respect to how the system renders background objects that are obscured by a foreground object. The objects include elements such as building surfaces, streets, pointers, icons, labels, floor plans, and the like. The rules specify details such as stroke, fill, transparency, opacity, and visibility of the elements. Some of the rules may specify relationships between an object and elements that are considered “internal” to the object, while others of the rules may specify relationships between an object and other elements considered “external” to the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventor: Zhou Bailiang
  • Patent number: 9111071
    Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to provide secure, multi-party computation and include actions of receiving a program, the program being human-readable and including one or more expressions to provide secure computation based on inputs provided by two or more parties, the program providing a secure computation protocol including at least one calculation that is performed on behalf of the two or more parties, processing the program and one or more rewriting rules in view of a cost-driven heuristic to automatically generate a rewritten program, the rewritten program including a structure that enables localization of one or more calculations and providing an optimized secure computation protocol that localizes the at least one calculation to be performed by at least one of the two or more parties, and compiling the rewritten program to generate a computer-executable program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: SAP SE
    Inventor: Florian Kerschbaum
  • Patent number: 9111392
    Abstract: Unlike a static primitive, where the depth function is planar, the depth function for a moving and defocused triangle is a rational function in time and the lens parameters. Compact depth functions can be used to design an efficient depth buffer compressor/decompressor, which significantly lowers total depth buffer bandwidth usage. In addition, this compressor/decompressor is substantially simpler in the number of operations needed to execute, which makes it more amenable for hardware implementation than previous methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Magnus Andersson, Carl J. Munkberg, Tomas G. Akenine-Moller, Jon N. Hasselgren
  • Patent number: 9111393
    Abstract: A system, process, and computer program product are provided for sampling a hierarchical depth map. An approach for sampling the hierarchical depth map includes the steps of generating a hierarchical depth map and reading a value associated with a sample pixel from a target level of the hierarchical depth map based on a difference between the sample pixel and a target pixel. The hierarchical depth map includes at least two levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Morgan McGuire, David Patrick Luebke, Michael Thomas Mara
  • Patent number: 9092170
    Abstract: A method and system for a cooperative graphics processing across a graphics bus in a computer system. The system includes a bridge coupled to a system memory via a system memory bus and coupled to a graphics processor via the graphics bus. The bridge includes a fragment processor for implementing cooperative graphics processing with the graphics processor coupled to the graphics bus. The fragment processor is configured to implement a plurality of raster operations on graphics data stored in the system memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: John M. Danskin, Anthony Michael Tamasi
  • Patent number: 9087402
    Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed that relate to augmenting a lower resolution image with higher resolution image data. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a method comprising imaging a scene with a first, lower resolution imaging device to form a first set of image data. The scene may also be imaged with a second, higher resolution imaging device to form a second set of image data. The method further comprises augmenting at least a portion of the first set of image data with at least a portion of the second set of image data to form an augmented image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventor: Don Doolittle
  • Patent number: 9076265
    Abstract: Embodiments of a system and method including graphics processing of a pixel sample are described. According to an embodiment, a first depth test processes a value, such as a z/stencil value, of a pixel sample and determines whether the value of the pixel sample satisfies the first depth test. If the value of the pixel sample satisfies the first depth test, the value of the pixel sample is not immediately written to storage, such as a Z-buffer. That is, if the value of the pixel sample satisfies the first depth test, the depth processing logic prevents or delays a write operation for the value of the pixel sample to storage at that time. A second depth test is performed on the value of the pixel sample if the value of the pixel sample satisfied the first depth test. If the value of the pixel sample satisfies the second depth test, the value of the pixel sample is then written to storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: ATI TECHNOLOGIES ULC
    Inventors: Mark Fowler, Chris Brennan
  • Patent number: 9071830
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a depth-information detecting section, a comparison/detection section, and a control unit. The depth-information detecting section is provided for detecting a peak position of an object in a depth direction, at which the object is displayed at the front in an additional information display area. The comparison/detection section is provided for making a comparison between depth information of the additional information and the peak value of the stereoscopic video data to detect a positional relationship between the stereoscopic data and the display position of the additional information in the depth direction. The control unit is provided for controlling the stereoscopic video data and the display position of the additional information in response to the positional relationship between the stereoscopic video data and the display position of the additional information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Okada, Takashi Kuwabara, Kazuya Yokoyama, Kenichiro Aridome, Atsushi Mae, Kenichiro Nagao, Shinya Kano
  • Patent number: 9070213
    Abstract: In a raster stage of a graphics processor, a method for tile based precision rasterization. The method includes receiving a graphics primitive for rasterization in a raster stage of a graphics processor and rasterizing the graphics primitive at a first level precision to generate a plurality of tiles of pixels. The tiles are then rasterized at a second level precision to generate covered pixels. The covered pixels are then output for rendering operations in a subsequent stage of the graphics processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Franklin C. Crow, Blaise A. Vignon
  • Patent number: 9064334
    Abstract: An enhanced graphics pipeline is provided that enables common core hardware to perform as different components of the graphics pipeline, programmability of primitives including lines and triangles by a component in the pipeline, and a stream output before or simultaneously with the rendering a graphical display with the data in the pipeline. The programmer does not have to optimize the code, as the common core will balance the load of functions necessary and dynamically allocate those instructions on the common core hardware. The programmer may program primitives using algorithms to simplify all vertex calculations by substituting with topology made with lines and triangles. The programmer takes the calculated output data and can read it before or while it is being rendered. Thus, a programmer has greater flexibility in programming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Amar Patel, Charles N. Boyd, David R. Blythe, Jeff M. J. Noyle, Michael A. Toelle, Stephen Harry Wright
  • Patent number: 9053575
    Abstract: A detecting unit detects an object in an input image. A depth map generating unit selects a depth template corresponding to a type of the object and places a selected depth template on a depth map in accordance with a position of the object to generate the depth map having a depth value for each pixel. A correcting unit calculates a weight of at least one interested pixel and a weight of a peripheral pixel based on a relationship between pixel values to the interested pixel and the peripheral pixel and corrects the depth value of the interested pixel based on a weighted sum of the respective depth values corresponding to the interested pixel and the peripheral pixel. An image generating unit generates parallax images based on the corrected depth map and the input image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kenichi Shimoyama, Nao Mishima, Takeshi Mita, Takashi Ida
  • Patent number: 9047688
    Abstract: One or more systems, devices, and/or methods for illustrating depth are disclosed. For example, a method includes receiving a depthmap generated from an optical distancing system. The depthmap includes depth data for each of a plurality of points, which are correlated to pixels of an image. Data indicative of a location on the image is received. Depth data correlated with the first point is compared to depth data correlated with pixels at surrounding points in the image. If the depth data correlated with the first point indicate a lesser distance from a viewer perspective of the image than the depth data of a pixel at the surrounding points in the image, the pixel is changed to a predetermined value. The comparison may be repeated at other pixels and a depth illustration may be drawn that relates the depth of the received location to other objects in the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventor: James D. Lynch
  • Publication number: 20150130802
    Abstract: A graphics processing apparatus and method of graphics processing is disclosed. Obscuration identification circuitry is configured to receive graphics fragments from rasterization circuitry and to identify an obscuration condition if a received graphics fragment, in combination with at least one previously received graphics fragment, will obscure at least one further previously received graphics fragment. Process killing circuitry is configured to prevent further processing occurring in the graphics processing apparatus with respect to the at least one further previously received graphics fragment if the obscuration identification circuitry identifies the obscuration condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventors: Ian Victor DEVEREUX, Simon JONES, Frode HEGGELUND, Toni Viki BRKIC
  • Patent number: 9030474
    Abstract: A three-dimensional computer graphics rendering system allows a tile-based rendering system to operate with a reduced amount of storage required for tiled screen space geometry by using an untransformed display list to represent the screen's geometry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies, Limited
    Inventor: John W. Howson
  • Patent number: 9030466
    Abstract: Technologies are generally described for generating depth data based on a spatial light pattern. In some examples, a method of generating depth data includes obtaining an image of one or more objects on which a spatial light pattern is projected, wherein blurring of the spatial light pattern in the image monotonously increases or decreases in a depth direction, calculating a value of a spatial frequency component of the image in a local image area around a pixel of interest, and determining depth data corresponding to the calculated value of the spatial frequency component by utilizing a preset relationship between depths and values of the spatial frequency component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC
    Inventors: Kazutake Uehira, Masahiro Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20150123968
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, article of manufacture, and computer readable storage medium provide the ability to render point cloud data. After obtaining point cloud data, polygons are fit to the point cloud data. A texture atlas is created for each of the polygons. A lookup table is generated from the texture atlases and maps each pixel to a corresponding texture location. When a scene is loaded for rendering/processing, the polygons and texture atlas are loaded and projected into an off-screen buffer that defines a depth map of the scene with approximations of a depth per pixel in screen space. The off-screen buffer is used as a lookup table to determine texture data to be rendered for the scene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Applicant: AUTODESK, INC.
    Inventors: Paulus Jacobus Holverda, Ronald Poelman
  • Patent number: 9019261
    Abstract: A right virtual camera and a left virtual camera are set on a straight line passing through a reference virtual camera and extending perpendicular to a camera direction of the reference virtual camera, in accordance with the reference virtual camera set within a virtual space. A right background image and a left background image are generated such that the right background image and the left background image have relative relation in accordance with positional relation between the right virtual camera and the left virtual camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Keizo Ohta
  • Patent number: 9019693
    Abstract: An electronic device capable of ejecting a peripheral element is disclosed, including a housing, a first wheel and a driving unit. The housing has a chamber, wherein the peripheral element is stored in the chamber. The first wheel is disposed in the housing, wherein the first wheel contacts the peripheral element. The driving unit is disposed in the housing, the driving unit rotates the first wheel, and the first wheel moves the peripheral element from a first position to a second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Wistron Corp.
    Inventor: Tien-Chung Tseng