Abstract: A method and apparatus in a preferred embodiment for generating anti-aliased layered fog which is textured manipulated as if in a geocentric virtual environment to thereby show horizon depression at high altitudes. Hardware is provided such that layer model data and texture model data is combined to generate fogged pixel color.

Abstract: A method and apparatus, for use in a computer image generation system wherein polygons are displayed on an array of pixels, for encoding data representing intersections of the polygons and the pixels. The method comprises the steps of receiving input data signals characterizing a set of coordinates of each of at least three vertices of each polygon to be displayed, each different pair of the vertices of each polygon defining a different edge of the polygon; and generating, responsive to the received vertex data signals, edge data signals describing the intersection, if any, of the polygon edges with each pixel to be displayed.

Abstract: A pixel based method for the computation of sub-pixel area-coverage is implemented in an area-coverage hardware module, within a 3D computer graphics rendering engine. Unlike the prior art segment based method which requires an operating aperture of an entire segment, the present invention only requires an operating aperture of one pixel. Therefore, the overall system pixel yield rate is increased.

Abstract: A system and method for providing antialiasing of a graphical image on a display is disclosed. The graphical image is generated from data describing at least one object. The display includes a plurality of pixels. The at least one object includes a plurality of fragments. A portion of the plurality of fragments intersects a pixel of the plurality of pixels. Each of the plurality of fragments including an indication of a portion of a corresponding pixel that is intersected. The system and method include providing at least one active region for the pixel. The at least one active region intersects a first portion of the pixel. The method and system also include providing at least one new region. A first portion of the at least one new region indicates where in the pixel the at least one active region and the fragment intersect. A second portion of the at least one new region indicates where in the pixel the at least one active region and the fragment do not intersect.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the scaling of digital image data for improved image quality on LCD displays is described. An output pixel value is determined from a source pixel array approximately centered at the output pixel location. Edge arrays are generated by comparing the differences in the color component values of adjacent vertical and horizontal pixels to a threshold value. Logic arrays operate on edge arrays to determine if the source pixel array matches predetermined pixel arrangements. Offset values corresponding to the location of the output pixel relative to the center pixel in the source pixel array are calculated. The offset values are modified if a logic array match is found. Offset values are also modified according to a predetermined modifier function. Bilinear interpolation based on the resulting offset values is used to determine the output pixel value.

Abstract: A software graphics engine includes a selectable mode filter for improved texture mapping. An x, y pixel coordinate is mapped into a u, v texture map. The mapped u, v coordinate includes integer and fractional portions. Depending on the location of the coordinate relative to the four nearest texels, which are represented as integers, one of several texture mapping schemes are used to either select or calculate the texel value to be used to render the pixel at the x, y screen location. The three texture mapping schemes include point sampling in which the nearest texel from the texture map is selected, two-texel averaging in which the closest two texels are combined in a weighted average, and four-texel averaging in which the closest four texels are combined in a weighted average. By providing a selectable filter than can perform point sampling or two or four-texel averaging, the speed benefit of point sampling can be approached as well as the superior quality of two- and four-texel averaging.

Abstract: In a graphics subsystem of a computer system, a method for adjustable texture replication. The method is implemented within the graphics subsystem of the computer system. The method includes the step of configuring a plurality of raster engines into a first cluster and a second cluster. The raster engines of the first cluster and the raster engines of the second cluster are each communicatively coupled to respective texture memories. A first texture image copy is stored among the texture memories of the first cluster such that each respective texture memory stores a respective portion of the first texture image copy. A second texture image copy is stored among the texture memories of the second cluster such that each respective texture memory stores a respective portion of the second texture image copy. A parallel texture mapping process is performed on a surface using the first cluster and the second cluster.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for utilizing an increased number of samples of image data, coupled with the separately controllable nature of RGB pixel sub-components, to generate images with increased resolution on a display device. such as a liquid crystal display. The methods include scaling, hinting, and scan conversion operations. The scaling operation involves scaling the image data by factors of one in the directions perpendicular and parallel to the RGB striping of the display device. Hinting includes placing the scaled image data on a grid that has grid points defined by the positions of the pixels of the display device, and rounding key points to the nearest full pixel boundary in the direction parallel to the striping and to the nearest fractional increment in the direction perpendicular to the striping. Scan conversion includes scaling the hinted image data by an overscaling factor in the direction perpendicular to the striping.

Abstract: The invention provides a display control apparatus and a display control method wherein, where digital gradation display is performed, occurrences of a moving picture pseudo contour can be reduced simply. A signal production circuit produces a signal for driving a display section so that light of divisional light amounts obtained by dividing light amounts corresponding to bits which compose digital values which are pixel values may be emitted in a such manner as to be distributed within a time corresponding to one screen. In this instance, where both of a first light amount corresponding to a predetermined bit and a second light amount corresponding to a bit in a lower order by one bit to the bit are divided, the first and second light amounts are divided so that the division number of the first light amount may be smaller than twice the division number of the second light amount.

Abstract: An apparatus for converting gray levels of an image, a method thereof, a program storage device thereof, and an infrared camera. The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for converting gray levels into fewer gray levels without missing a local gradation, a method thereof, a program storage device thereof, and an infrared camera to which the present invention is applied. A positive mask image (C) and a reversed mask image (C′) are obtained the edge detected image (B) which is produced by emphasizing edges of an original image (A). A low frequency component (D) is obtained by performing an edge preserving smoothing operation for A masked with C, and performing a non-edge preserving smoothing operation for A masked with C′. A high frequency component (E) is obtained by calculating of (A-D). After D is compressed to D′ and E is emphasized to E′, an output image (F′) is obtained by adding D′ and E′.

Abstract: An image display device includes a smoothing unit that filters the image data to be displayed. According to one aspect of the invention, only bright parts of the image that are adjacent to dark parts are smoothed, thereby improving the sharpness of dark dots and lines displayed on a bright background. According to another aspect, different primary colors are smoothed with different characteristics, enabling unwanted colored tinges to be removed from the edges of white areas. According to still another aspect, smoothing moves the luminance centroids of all primary colors in a direction in which the display screen is scanned, to reduce ringing effects without needless loss of edge sharpness.

Abstract: A pseudo-contour noise detecting device for detecting pseudo-contour noise is provided. The pseudo-contour noise is embodied as contour lines appearing spuriously in a motion picture displayed such that a gradation display is performed by using a plurality of weighted subfields into which one field of an input image, including a plurality of pixels, is divided. The device includes a pseudo-contour noise calculating unit in which, a logic operation is performed, for each subfield, on each pixel of at least a portion of the input image using a value of the each pixel and values of at least one of the pixels surrounding the each pixel. Further, a value corresponding to an amount of pseudo-contour noise is calculated according to a number of subfields in which a difference is detected between the value of the each pixel and the values of the at least one of the pixels surrounding the each pixel.

Abstract: A graphical on-screen display (OSD) system, includes a decoder for decoding graphical OSD image representative data from an auxiliary information component of a video signal. An edge detector is coupled to the decoder and processes the OSD image representative data to detect an edge in the graphical OSD image. An edge smoother is coupled to both the decoder and the edge detector and generates signals representing a reproduced OSD image having a smoothed edge when an edge is detected.

Abstract: A computer graphics system may comprise a graphics processor, a sample buffer, and a sample-to-pixel calculation unit. The graphics processor renders samples into the sample buffer in response to received graphics data. The sample-to-pixel calculation unit generates a plurality of output pixels by filtering the rendered samples based on a filter function. The pixels may be computed by generating a weighted sum of sample values (e.g. red sample values) for samples falling within the filter support. The coefficients used in the weighted sum may be added to form a normalization factor. One weighted sum of sample values may be computed per pixel attribute such as red, green, blue and alpha. The normalization factor may be computed in parallel with one or more of the weighted sums. Normalized pixel values may be obtained by dividing the weighted-sums by the normalization factor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus in a preferred embodiment for generating anti-aliased layered fog which is textured manipulated as if in a geocentric virtual environment to thereby show horizon depression at high altitudes. Hardware is provided such that layer model data and texture model data is combined to generate fogged pixel color.

Abstract: An anti-aliasing technique for sampling an image for display on a pixel based display is presented. The image, or set of objects forming an image, is sampled at a resolution higher than the pixel spatial resolution. The resultant multiple sampled values for each pixel are accumulated, and the accumulated value is used to determine an average pixel value that is used for the display of the pixel. To minimize memory requirements, the rendering plane is used to temporarily store a portion of the accumulated value for each pixel. To minimize processing, the multiple of samples per pixel is a power of 2, and the portion of the accumulated value that is stored in the rendering plane is the most significant bits (MSB) of the accumulated value. Because of the use of a power of 2 as the number of samples, the MSB of the accumulated value is equal to the average of the accumulated value, and therefore the need for an explicit computation of an average for each pixel is eliminated.

Abstract: It is one object of the present invention to obtain a clear scaled image, without impairing the rough shape of fonts or the like, on a graphics screen that is handled by an information display device such as an LCD panel or a projector, and that includes a lot of stepped edges like thin lines.

Abstract: System and methods are provided for optimizing the access of information, particularly in response to ad hoc queries or filters. The system of the present invention includes a computer having a memory and a processor, a database for storing information in the memory as field values in a record, an indexing component for referencing a plurality of records by key values of the field(s), an input device for selecting desired records by entering a filter (query) condition corresponding to values stored in the field(s), and an optimization module for providing rapid access to the desired records. The optimization module employs one or more existing indices for optimizing data access, including using ones which do not directly support the filter expression. In instances where no indices are available, the optimization module may employ a "learned" optimization method of the invention for on-the-fly learning of records which meet the filter condition.

Abstract: Digitized images are associated with English language captions and other data, collectively known as the metadata associated with the images. A natural language processing database removes ambiguities from the metadata, and the images and the metadata are stored in databases. A user formulates a search query, and natural language processing is used to determine matches between the query and the stored metadata. Images corresponding to the matches are then viewed, and desired images are selected for licensing. The license terms for selected images are displayed, and a subset of the selected images are ordered as desired by the user.