Pipeline Processors Patents (Class 345/506)
  • Publication number: 20130222398
    Abstract: A graphic processing unit and a graphic data accessing method are provided. The graphic processing unit receives a graphic processing request instruction which comprises a first coordinate bits and a second coordinate bits of a under processing texel image, from the server processing unit. The graphic processing unit retrieves at least one first bit of the first coordination bits, retrieves at least one second bit of the second coordination bits, and derives a cache index from the at least one first bits and the at least one second bits via an arithmetic logic operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Inventor: Chih-Yu LO
  • Publication number: 20130223733
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for performing lossless normalization of input pixel component values. The apparatus includes a normalization unit for converting pixel values from a range of 0 to (2N?1) to a normalized range from 0.0 to 1.0. The step size between adjacent values of the normalized range is 1/(2N?1), and a maximum input value of (2N?1) corresponds to a normalized value of 1. The normalization unit divides each input pixel component value by (2N?1) in order to preserve the fidelity of the color information contained in the input pixel component value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Inventors: Brijesh Tripathi, Nitin Bhargava, Craig M. Okruhlica
  • Publication number: 20130222399
    Abstract: The techniques are generally related to implementing a pipeline topology of a data processing algorithm on a graphics processing unit (GPU). A developer may define the pipeline topology in a platform-independent manner. A processor may receive an indication of the pipeline topology and generate instructions that define the platform-dependent manner in which the pipeline topology is to be implemented on the GPU.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventor: QUALCOMM Incorporated
  • Publication number: 20130222400
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus, upgrade apparatus, display system and control method are provided. The image processing apparatus includes a signal input unit; a first image processing unit which processes an input signal input by the signal input unit to output a first output signal; an upgrade apparatus connection unit connected to an upgrade apparatus which includes a second image processing unit; and a first controller which controls at least one of the input signal processed by the first image processing unit and the first output signal to be transmitted to the upgrade apparatus and processed by the second image processing unit if the upgrade apparatus is connected to the upgrade apparatus connection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2013
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
  • Patent number: 8520012
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises a plurality of processing blocks connected in series, and each respective processing block comprises a processor. In each respective processing block, the processor employs data input into that processing block to perform an image process upon the data. Also, each processing block performs a process upon the processor in response to a command input into the processing block. Each processing block causes an output corresponding to the command that is input after the data to wait until an output of the processor that employed the data input into the processing block prior to the command to perform the process is finished, such that the output of the processor that employed the data to perform the image processing and the output that corresponds to the command is outputted from the processing block in an order whereby the data and the command are input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuji Hara, Hisashi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 8514232
    Abstract: A circuit arrangement and method make state changes to shared state data in a highly multithreaded environment by propagating or streaming the changes to multiple parallel hardware threads of execution in the multithreaded environment using an on-chip communications network and without attempting to access any copy of the shared state data in a shared memory to which the parallel threads of execution are also coupled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric O. Mejdrich, Paul E. Schardt, Robert A. Shearer, Matthew R. Tubbs
  • Patent number: 8508551
    Abstract: Rendering graphics on a display of a device. In a portable or wireless device, a list of instructions needed to refresh or generate a frame is first created. The created instructions are then parsed or optimized to remove instructions that result in unnecessary processing instructions. The optimized list is then executed. During generation of a given frame, a view hierarchy is traversed to identify damaged portions of a display. The damaged portions are not copied to the frame. Also, information that has not changed is likewise not usually copied. Damage from the previous frame less damage from the current frame is copied to the appropriate buffer. The instructions are optimized to render only the portion of the frame that is necessary. Portions of the display that are not visible are not traversed in the view hierarchy and are not considered until visible on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Arthur Anthonie Van Hoff, Geoffrey W. Chatterton
  • Patent number: 8502829
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for combining multiple independent tile-based graphic cores. An incoming geometry stream is split into a plurality of streams and sent to respective tile based graphics processing cores. Each one generates a separate tiled geometry list as described. These may be combined into a master tiling unit or, alternatively, markers may be inserted into the tiled geometry lists which are used in the rasterization phase to switch between tiling lists from different geometry processing cores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies, Limited
    Inventor: John W. Howson
  • Patent number: 8497865
    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: December 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Lucid Information Technology, Ltd.
    Inventors: Reuven Bakalash, Yaniv Leviathan
  • Patent number: 8495602
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes a shader compiler system and method. In an embodiment, a shader compiler includes a decoder to translate an instruction having a vector representation to a unified instruction representation. The shader compiler also includes an encoder to translate an instruction having a unified instruction representation to a processor executable instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Lin Chen, Guofang Jiao, Chihong Zhang, Junhong Sun
  • Patent number: 8493398
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing vector data is provided. A processing core may have a data cache and a relatively smaller vector data cache. The vector data cache may be optimally sized to store vector data structures that are smaller than full data cache lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Miguel Comparan, Russell Dean Hoover, Eric Oliver Mejdrich
  • Patent number: 8493399
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for rendering application content are disclosed. In one embodiment a content receiver receives application content for rendering on a display unit of a computing device. A first processing unit renders the application content onto a first frame of a plurality of frames, and a second processing unit sequentially renders the plurality of frames onto the display unit. A counter counts of a number of outstanding frames as provided by the first processing unit to the second processing unit relative to corresponding acknowledgement messages indicating that one of the outstanding frames has been rendered onto the display unit. If the count is less than a threshold, the first processing unit renders the application content onto the first frame, otherwise the first processing unit waits to render the application content until the count is less than the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: John Paul Bates, Nathaniel Duca
  • Publication number: 20130181999
    Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for providing domain, hull, and geometry shaders in a para-virtualized environment. As such, a guest application executing in a child partition is enabled use a programmable GPU pipeline of a physical GPU. A vGPU (executing in the child partition) is presented to the guest application. The vGPU exposes DDIs of a rendering framework. The DDIs enable the guest application to send graphics commands to the vGPU, including commands for utilizing a domain shader, a hull shader, and/or a geometric shader at a physical GPU. A render component (executing within the root partition) receives physical GPU-specific commands from the vGPU, including commands for using the domain shader, the hull shader, and/or the geometric shader. The render component schedules the physical GPU-specific command(s) for execution at the physical GPU.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2012
    Publication date: July 18, 2013
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Meher Prasad Malakapalli, Hao Zhang, Lin Tan, Meetesh Barua, Pandele Stanescu, B. Anil Kumar, Eric K. Han, Artem Belkine, Jeroen Dirk Meijer, Winston Matthew Penfold Johnston
  • Patent number: 8487942
    Abstract: Exemplary apparatus, method, and system embodiments provide for accelerated hardware processing of an action script for a graphical image for visual display. An exemplary system comprises: a network I/O interface; a frame buffer; a first memory; and a plurality of processors to separate the action script from other data, to convert a plurality of descriptive elements of the action script into a plurality of hardware-level operational or control codes, and to perform one or more operations corresponding to an operational code to generate pixel data for the graphical image. In an exemplary embodiment, at least one processor further is to parse the action script into the plurality of descriptive elements and the corresponding data, and to extract data from the action script and to store the extracted data in the first memory as a plurality of control words having the corresponding data in predetermined fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: LeoNovus USA Inc.
    Inventors: Bhaskar Kota, Lakshmikanth Surya Naga Satyavolu, Ganapathi Venkata Puppala, Praveen Kumar Bollam, Sairam Sambaraju, Paul L. Master
  • Patent number: 8487941
    Abstract: Exemplary apparatus, method, and system embodiments provide for accelerated hardware processing of an action script for a graphical image for visual display. An exemplary apparatus comprises: a first memory to store corresponding data; a first processor to separate the action script from other data; and a second processor to convert a plurality of descriptive elements of the action script into a plurality of operational codes, and to perform an operation corresponding to an operational code of the plurality of operational codes using the corresponding data to generate pixel data for the graphical image. In exemplary embodiments the second processor further is to parse the action script into the plurality of descriptive elements and the corresponding data, and to extract data from the action script and to store the extracted data in the first memory as a plurality of control words having the corresponding data in predetermined fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: LeoNovus USA Inc.
    Inventors: Bhaskar Kota, Lakshmikanth Surya Naga Satyavolu, Ganapathi Venkata Puppala, Praveen Kumar Bollam, Sairam Sambaraju, Paul L. Master
  • Patent number: 8482570
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an image division section which divides input image data configuring one screen into N (N is an integer of 2 or more) image blocks; and N image processing sections which carry out image processings in parallel on every N image blocks, an ith (i is an integer of 1 to N) image processing section including: a first image block memory; K (K is an integer of 2 or more) image quality adjustment sections; (K?1) buffer memories; a second image block memory; and a pixel data acquisition section, wherein each image quality adjustment section selects processing subject pixels, in order from pixels positioned outside toward pixels positioned inside the ith image block, and carries out the image quality adjustment, and at least one of the second to Kth image quality adjustment sections is a filtering section which carries out a filtering process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hideo Fukuchi
  • Patent number: 8482571
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus, including a first processing unit capable of processing an image, a second processing unit capable of processing the image in parallel for each unit dividing the image, and a controller section configured to perform a control to select one of the first processing unit, the second processing unit, and both of them as a subject or subjects processing the image, to divide, in a case where both the first processing unit and the second processing unit are selected, the image into a first region and a second region, and to assign processing of an image of the first region and processing of an image of the second region, which are obtained by the division, to the first processing unit and the second processing unit, respectively, to cause the first processing unit and the second processing unit to perform the processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hisakazu Shiraki
  • Publication number: 20130169652
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus, upgrade apparatus, display system and control method are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2013
    Publication date: July 4, 2013
    Applicant: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
  • Patent number: 8471862
    Abstract: An efficient rendering method for processing computer graphics in tiles. First a frame of data, typically at least one polygon, is received for rendering. While rendering a polygon the tile for the polygon is assigned so that it minimizes the number of the tiles needed for processing the polygon. It is possible to compute an offset value between the static tiles and the assigned tiles. If the offset value is computed, the rendering into an actual screen may be based on that.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventor: Mika Tuomi
  • Publication number: 20130155077
    Abstract: A method of determining priority within an accelerated processing device is provided. The accelerated processing device includes compute pipeline queues that are processed in accordance with predetermined criteria. The queues are selected based on priority characteristics and the selected queue is processed until a time quantum lapses or a queue having a higher priority becomes available for processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Applicant: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Scott HARTOG, Mark Leather, Michael Mantor, Rex McCrary, Sebastien Nussbaum, Philip J. Rogers, Ralph Clay Taylor, Thomas Woller
  • Publication number: 20130147817
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a graphics processing device is provided. The graphics processing device includes a global clock generator configured to generate a global clock signal and a plurality of graphics pipelines each configured to transmit image frames to a respective display device. Each of the graphics pipelines comprises a timing generator. Each of the timing generators is configured to generate a respective virtual clock signal based on the global clock signal and wherein each virtual clock signal is used to advance logic of a respective one of the display devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2011
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Applicant: ATI Technologies, ULC
    Inventor: Collis Quinn CARTER
  • Publication number: 20130141445
    Abstract: When carrying out a second, higher level of anti-aliasing such as 8× MSAA, in a graphics processing pipeline 1 configured to “natively” support a first level of anti-aliasing, such as 4× MSAA, the rasterisation stage 3, early Z (depth) and stencil test stage 4, late Z (depth) and stencil test stage 7, blending stage 9, and downsampling and writeback (multisample resolve) stage 11 of the graphics processing pipeline 1 process each graphics fragment or pixel that they receive for processing in plural processing passes, each such processing pass processing a sub-set of the sampling points that the fragment represents, but the fragment shader 6 is configured to process each graphics fragment in a processing pass that processes all the sampling points that the fragment represents in parallel, so as to ensure compliance with the desired higher level of multisampled anti-aliasing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Applicant: ARM LIMITED
    Inventor: ARM Limited
  • Patent number: 8456480
    Abstract: In a single-instruction-multiple-data (SIMD) processor having multiple lanes, and local memory dedicated to each lane, a method of processing an image is disclosed. The method comprises mapping consecutive rasters of the image to consecutive lanes such that groups of consecutive rasters form image strips, and vertical stacks of strips comprise strip columns. Local memory allocates memory to the image strips. A sequence of functions is processed for execution on the SIMD processor in a pipeline implementation, such that the pipeline loops over portions of the image in multiple iterations, and intermediate data processed during the functions is stored in the local memory. Data associated with the image is traversed by first processing image strips from top to bottom in a left-most strip column, then progressing to each adjacent unprocessed strip column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Calos Fund Limited Liability Company
    Inventors: Donald James Curry, Ujval J. Kapasi
  • Patent number: 8458497
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is power controller for use with a graphics processing unit. The power controller monitors, manages and controls power supplied to components of a pipeline of the graphics processing unit. The power controller determining whether and to what extent power is to be supplied to a pipeline component based on status information received by the power controller in connection with the pipeline component. The power controller is capable of identifying a trend using the received status information, and determining whether and to what extent power is to be supplied to a pipeline component based on the identified trend.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Yun Du, Chun Yu, Guofang Jiao, Stephen Molloy
  • Patent number: 8446420
    Abstract: A system for processing graphics data. The graphics processing system includes an embedded memory array having at least three separate banks of single-ported memory in which graphics data are stored. A memory controller coupled to the banks of memory writes post-processed data to a first bank of memory while reading data from a second bank of memory. A synchronous graphics processing pipeline processes the data read from the second bank of memory and provides the post-processed graphics data to the memory controller to be written back to a bank of memory. The processing pipeline concurrently processes an amount of graphics data at least equal to that included in a page of memory. A third bank of memory is precharged concurrently with writing data to the first bank and reading data from the second bank in preparation for access when reading data from the second bank of memory is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Round Rock Research, LLC
    Inventor: William Radke
  • Patent number: 8446416
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system for producing images including techniques for reducing the memory and processing power required for such operations. The system provides techniques for programmatically representing a graphics problem. The system further provides techniques for reducing and optimizing graphics problems for rendering with consideration of the system resources, such as the availability of a compatible GPU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John Harper, Ralph Brunner, Peter Graffagnino, Mark Zimmer
  • Publication number: 20130120413
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for receiving versions of state objects at one or more stages in a processing pipeline. The method includes receiving a first version of a state object at a first stage in the processing pipeline, determining that the first version of the state object is relevant to the first stage, incrementing a first reference counter associated with the first version of the state object, assigning the first version of the state object to work requests that arrive at the first stage subsequent to the receipt of the first version of the state object, and transmitting the first version of the state object to a second stage in the processing pipeline.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Inventors: Sean J. TREICHLER, Lacky V. Shah, Daniel Elliot Wexler
  • Publication number: 20130120412
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for executing an operation once work associated with a version of a state object has been completed. The method includes receiving the version of the state object at a first stage in a processing pipeline, where the version of the state object is associated with a reference count object, determining that the version of the state object is relevant to the first stage, incrementing a counter included in the reference count object, transmitting the version of the state object to a second stage in the processing pipeline, processing work associated with the version of the state object, decrementing the counter, determining that the counter is equal to zero, and in response, executing an operation specified by the reference count object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Inventors: Sean J. TREICHLER, Lacky V. Shah, Daniel Elliot Wexler
  • Patent number: 8441488
    Abstract: Exemplary apparatus, method, and system embodiments provide for processing an action script for a graphical image for visual display. An exemplary apparatus comprises: a first memory; first circuitry configured to convert a plurality of descriptive elements of the action script into a plurality of operational codes; and second circuitry configured to execute the plurality of operational codes using corresponding data stored in the first memory to generate pixel data for the graphical image. Exemplary embodiments may further include third circuitry configured to parse the action script into the plurality of descriptive elements and the corresponding data, and fourth circuitry configured to extract data from the action script and to store the extracted data in the first memory as a plurality of control words having the corresponding data in predetermined fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: LeoNovus USA Inc.
    Inventors: Bhaskar Kota, Lakshmikanth Surya Naga Satyavolu, Ganapathi Venkata Puppala, Praveen Kumar Bollam, Sairam Sambaraju, Paul L. Master
  • Patent number: 8436870
    Abstract: A computer-implemented user interface and method for graphical processing analysis. More specifically, embodiments provide a convenient and effective mechanism for presenting GPU performance information such that one or more bottlenecking and/or underutilized graphics pipeline units may be identified. The presentation of the information enables quick comparison of all graphical operations within a frame for analysis with increased granularity. Additionally, the performance of graphical operations with common state attributes may be compared to more effectively and efficiently enhance GPU performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Raul Aguaviva, Jeffrey T. Kiel, Sebastien Julien Domine, William Orville Ramey, II
  • Patent number: 8436864
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method and user interface for organizing graphical operations and displaying performance data of a graphics processing pipeline. More specifically, embodiments provide a convenient and effective mechanism for enhancing graphics processing by automatically determining and grouping graphical operations with similar state attributes relating to one or more units of the graphics pipeline. As such, pipeline adjustments for reducing execution time of one graphical operation may benefit other graphical operations with similar state attributes, thereby reducing the number of pipeline adjustments and allowing more careful selection of graphical operations to increase performance and reduce image degradation. Also, the display of the grouped graphical operations also provides information for determining the troublesome operations. In one embodiment, the groups are ranked by their respective execution time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Raul Aguaviva, Jeffrey T. Kiel, Sebastien Julien Domine, William Orville Ramey, II
  • Patent number: 8432406
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method for clipping graphics primitives are described. In one embodiment, a graphics processing apparatus includes a clipping unit that is configured to produce and issue ni initial outputs based on execution of a set of clipping operations, wherein ni represents the number of the initial outputs that are issued by the clipping unit prior to context switching, and the initial outputs partially define a clipped graphics primitive. The graphics processing apparatus also includes a control unit connected to the clipping unit. The control unit is configured to preserve an initial execution state of the clipping unit in response to an initial command for context switching, wherein the initial execution state is preserved based on ni.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Lordson L. Yue, Vimal S. Parikh
  • Patent number: 8432403
    Abstract: Exemplary apparatus, method, and system embodiments provide for accelerated hardware processing of an action script for a graphical image for visual display. An exemplary apparatus comprises: a first memory; and a plurality of processors to separate the action script from other data, to convert a plurality of descriptive elements of the action script into a plurality of hardware-level operational or control codes, and to perform one or more operations corresponding to an operational code of the plurality of operational codes using corresponding data to generate pixel data for the graphical image. In an exemplary embodiment, at least one processor further is to parse the action script into the plurality of descriptive elements and the corresponding data, and to extract data from the action script and to store the extracted data in the first memory as a plurality of control words having the corresponding data in predetermined fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: LeoNovus USA Inc.
    Inventors: Bhaskar Kota, Lakshmikanth Surya Naga Satyavolu, Ganapathi Venkata Puppala, Praveen Kumar Bollam, Sairam Sambaraju, Paul L. Master
  • Patent number: 8432404
    Abstract: Exemplary apparatus, method, and system embodiments provide for accelerated hardware processing of an action script for a graphical image for visual display. An exemplary method comprises: converting a plurality of descriptive elements into a plurality of operational codes which at least partially control at least one processor circuit; and using at least one processor circuit, performing one or more operations corresponding to an operational code to generate pixel data for the graphical image. Another exemplary method for processing a data file which has not been fully compiled to a machine code and comprising interpretable descriptions of the graphical image in a non-pixel-bitmap form, comprises: separating the data file from other data; parsing and converting the data file to a plurality of hardware-level operational codes and corresponding data; and performing a plurality of operations in response to at least some hardware-level operational codes to generate pixel data for the graphical image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: LeoNovus USA Inc.
    Inventors: Bhaskar Kota, Lakshmikanth Surya Naga Satyavolu, Ganapathi Venkata Puppala, Praveen Kumar Bollam, Sairam Sambaraju, Paul L. Master
  • Publication number: 20130100146
    Abstract: A pipelined video pre-processor includes a plurality of configurable image-processing modules. The modules may be configured using direct processor control, DMA access, or both. A block-control list, accessible via DMA, facilitates configuration of the modules in a manner similar to direct processor control. Parameters in the modules may be updated on a frame-by-frame basis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2012
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: ANALOG DEVICES, INC.
    Inventor: Analog Devices, Inc
  • Publication number: 20130100147
    Abstract: A pipelined video pre-processor includes a plurality of configurable image-processing modules. The modules may be configured using direct processor control, DMA access, or both. A block-control list, accessible via DMA, facilitates configuration of the modules in a manner similar to direct processor control. Parameters in the modules may be updated on a frame-by-frame basis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2012
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: ANALOG DEVICES, INC.
    Inventor: Analog Devices, Inc.
  • Patent number: 8427490
    Abstract: Determining a schedule of instructions for an integrated circuit graphics pipeline. The method includes accessing a state of a host system. The state comprises operations to be performed on fragments to be processed by the graphics pipeline. The method further includes determining a vector based on the state and indexing a table based on the vector to obtain a predetermined listing and ordering of macro-operations to be executed. The method still further includes determining instructions for programming the graphics pipeline based the executing of the macro-operations in the scheduled order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Viet-Tam Luu, Russell Pflughaupt
  • Patent number: 8427469
    Abstract: A receiving system that can receive and process 3D images and a data processing method of the same are disclosed. The receiving system includes an image receiving unit and a display unit. The image receiving unit receives a 3-dimensions (3D) image and system information including additional information of the 3D image (i.e., additional 3D image information), generates 3D signaling information based upon the additional 3D image information included in the system information, and transmits the generated 3D signaling information along with the 3D image through a digital interface. And, the display unit receives the 3D signaling information along with the 3D image through the digital interface, formats the 3D image based upon the receiving 3D signaling information, and displays the formatted 3D image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jong Yeul Suh, Chul Soo Lee, Seung Jong Choi, Jung Eun Lim, Jeong Hyu Yang, Jin Seok Im, Wern Bae Kil
  • Patent number: 8427487
    Abstract: A method and system for interface compression in a raster stage of a graphics processor. 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 in a coarse raster component to generate a plurality of tiles related to the graphics primitive. The method determines whether a window ID operation is required for the plurality of tiles. If the operation is required, a respective plurality of uncompressed coverage masks for the tiles are output from the coarse raster component to a fine raster component on a one coverage mask per clock cycle basis. If the operation is not required, a compressed coverage mask for the tiles is output in a single clock cycle. The tiles are subsequently rasterized at a second-level in the fine raster component to generate pixels related to the graphics primitive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventor: Franklin C. Crow
  • Patent number: 8427488
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a parallax image generating apparatus includes a deriving unit, a generating unit, a first calculating unit, a setting unit, a searching unit, and an interpolating unit. The deriving unit derives a parallax vector corresponding to a first pixel from the input image and depth information associated with the first pixel. The generating unit generates an intermediate image. The first calculating unit calculates first weights for respective pixels of a parallax image. The setting unit sets one or more candidate blocks near a shade-forming-area pixel of the intermediate image, and sets a reference block among one or more candidate blocks. The searching unit searches a target block similar to the reference block in the input image and/or the intermediate image. The interpolating unit interpolates a pixel value of the shade-forming-area pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Ryusuke Hirai, Hidenori Takeshima, Takeshi Mita, Nao Mishima, Kenichi Shimoyama, Takashi Ida
  • Patent number: 8427491
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for remote rendering of computer graphics. The system includes a graphics application program resident at a remote server. The graphics application is invoked by a user or process located at a client. The invoked graphics application proceeds to issue graphics instructions. The graphics instructions are received by a remote rendering control system. Given that the client and server differ with respect to graphics context and image processing capability, the remote rendering control system modifies the graphics instructions in order to accommodate these differences. The modified graphics instructions are sent to graphics rendering resources, which produce one or more rendered images. Data representing the rendered images is written to one or more frame buffers. The remote rendering control system then reads this image data from the frame buffers. The image data is transmitted to the client for display or processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Silicon Graphics International Corp.
    Inventor: Phillip C. Keslin
  • Publication number: 20130083043
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable media embodiments for reducing or eliminating display artifacts caused by on-the-fly changing of the display clock are disclosed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method includes, changing a rate of a display clock, and adapting a display data processing pipeline clocked by the display clock to prevent a substantial change in a pixel output rate from the display data processing pipeline based upon the changing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: ATI Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Collis Quinn CARTER, Natan Shtutman, Jonathan Wang, Stephen Ho, Nicholas James Chorney
  • Patent number: 8411094
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a graphics module for rendering a bidimensional scene on a display screen comprising a graphics pipeline of the sort-middle type, said graphics pipeline comprising: a first processing module configured to clip a span-type input primitive received from a rasterizer module into sub-span type primitives to be associated to respective macro-blocks corresponding to portions of the screen, and to store said sub-span type primitives in a scene buffer; a second processing module configured to reconstruct the span-type input primitive starting from said sub-span type primitives, the second processing module being further intended to implement a culling operation of sub-span type primitives of the occluded type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Mirko Falchetto, Massimiliano Barone, Danilo Pau
  • Publication number: 20130076763
    Abstract: Tone and/or gamut mapping apparatus and methods may be applied to map color values in image data for display on a particular display or other downstream device. A mapping algorithm may be selected based on location and/or color coordinates for pixel data being mapped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Neil W. Messmer
  • Patent number: 8405670
    Abstract: A multithreaded rendering software pipeline architecture utilizes a rolling texture context data structure to store multiple texture contexts that are associated with different textures that are being processed in the software pipeline. Each texture context stores state data for a particular texture, and facilitates the access to texture data by multiple, parallel stages in a software pipeline. In addition, texture contexts are capable of being “rolled”, or copied to enable different stages of a rendering pipeline that require different state data for a particular texture to separately access the texture data independently from one another, and without the necessity for stalling the pipeline to ensure synchronization of shared texture data among the stages of the pipeline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric O. Mejdrich, Paul E. Schardt, Robert A. Shearer
  • Patent number: 8405665
    Abstract: A processing unit includes multiple execution pipelines, each of which is coupled to a first input section for receiving input data for pixel processing and a second input section for receiving input data for vertex processing and to a first output section for storing processed pixel data and a second output section for storing processed vertex data. The processed vertex data is rasterized and scan converted into pixel data that is used as the input data for pixel processing. The processed pixel data is output to a raster analyzer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: John Erik Lindholm, Brett W. Coon, Stuart F. Oberman, Ming Y. Siu, Matthew P. Gerlach
  • Publication number: 20130069961
    Abstract: A projector of an embodiment is provided with: an input line memory which holds an input image signal corresponding to one line; an image processor which generates an intermediate image signal correction-processed according to distortion of a projection lens, using the input image signal transferred from the input line memory; an output line memory which holds the intermediate image signal corresponding to one line; and an LCOS which guides light radiated from a light source to the projection lens in accordance with the intermediate image signal. The image processor is provided with an input supplementation buffer which stores the input image signals of a plurality of lines, an input data buffer which stores input image signals required to generate the intermediate image signal corresponding to one line, and a number-of-supplementary-lines calculator which calculates the number of supplementary lines of the input image signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Yutaka Ota, Ryuji Hada
  • Patent number: 8400458
    Abstract: A method is provided for optimizing computer processes executing on a graphics processing unit (GPU) and a central processing unit (CPU). Process data is subdivided into sequentially processed data and parallel processed data. The parallel processed data is subdivided into a plurality of data blocks assigned to a plurality of processing cores of the GPU. The data blocks on the GPU are processed with other data blocks in parallel on the plurality of processing cores. Sequentially processed data is processed on the CPU. Result data processed on the CPU is returned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Ren Wu, Bin Zhang, Meichun Hsu
  • Patent number: 8400457
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for processing data. The systems and methods include multiple processors that each couple to receive commands and data, where the commands and/or data correspond to frames of video that include multiple pixels. An interlink module is coupled to receive processed data corresponding to the frames from each of the processors. The interlink module divides a first frame into multiple frame portions by dividing pixels of the first frame using at least one balance point. The interlink module dynamically determines a position for the balance point that minimizes differences between the workload of the processors during processing of commands and/or data of one or more subsequent frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: ATI Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan L. Campbell, Maurice Ribble
  • Patent number: 8384724
    Abstract: A coordinating apparatus for coordinating data transmission between a data providing device and a display device is provided. The display device conforms to a transmission standard. The coordinating apparatus includes a programmable coordinating module and an outputting module. The programmable coordinating module is programmed according to the transmission standard. The programmable coordinating module is used for receiving M bits of image data from the data providing device, extracting N bits of image data among the M bits of image data, and arranging the N bits of image data into N bits of arranged data. The outputting module is used for outputting the N bits of arranged data to the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Quanta Computer Inc.
    Inventor: Yan-Hong Lu