Parallel pipeline graphics system

Details Parallel pipeline graphics system Parallel pipeline graphics system

2003-11-26

2009-12-15

Harrison, Chante (Department: 2628)

Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system

Computer graphic processing system

Plural graphics processors

C345S505000, C345S519000

Reexamination Certificate

active

07633506

ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a parallel pipeline graphics system. The parallel pipeline graphics system includes a back-end configured to receive primitives and combinations of primitives (i.e., geometry) and process the geometry to produce values to place in a frame buffer for rendering on screen. Unlike prior single pipeline implementation, some embodiments use two or four parallel pipelines, though other configurations having 2^n pipelines may be used. When geometry data is sent to the back-end, it is divided up and provided to one of the parallel pipelines. Each pipeline is a component of a raster back-end, where the display screen is divided into tiles and a defined portion of the screen is sent through a pipeline that owns that portion of the screen's tiles. In one embodiment, each pipeline comprises a scan converter, a hierarchical-Z unit, a z buffer logic, a rasterizer, a shader, and a color buffer logic.

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