Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graphic manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-30
2003-11-11
Brier, Jeffery (Department: 2672)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graphic manipulation
C345S418000, C463S031000, C463S032000, C463S043000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06646653
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention generally relates to an information processing apparatus including a unique, external memory unit having a programmable processor embodied therein. More particularly, the invention relates to a removable, external memory unit having a program memory storing a program to be executed in part by a host processing system, e.g., a video game system, and in part by a programmable microprocessor designed to enhance the high speed graphics processing capabilities of the host system.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Prior art video game machines having an 8-bit microprocessor and an associated display processing subsystem embodied in a video game control deck typically generate graphics by prestoring characters in a game cartridge in the form of 8-bit by 8-bit matrices and by building a screen display using various programmable combinations of these prestored characters. Such prior art video game systems typically have the capability of moving the entire display background as well as a number of player-controlled “moving objects” or “sprites”.
Such prior art systems do not have the capability of practically implementing video games which include moving objects made up of combinations of polygons which must be manipulated, e.g., rotated, and “redrawn” f or each frame. The prior art 8-bit processor and associated display processing circuitry in such systems are not capable, for example, of performing the calculations required to effectively rotate three-dimensional, polygon-based objects or to appropriately scale such rotating objects to generate 3-D type special effects. The present inventors have recognized that sophisticated graphics require updating the screen on a pixel-by-pixel basis and performing complex mathematics on a real time basis. Such prior art character based video game machines are not capable of performing such tasks.
The prior art 8-bit video game machines also can not effectively perform other graphics techniques which require rapidly updating the screen on a pixel-by-pixel basis. For example, such systems can not effectively map an object onto a displayed polygon which is part of yet another displayed object (hereinafter referred to as “texture mapping”) in three-dimensional space.
In an effort to improve the graphics capabilities over prior art 8-bit machines, video game systems have been designed using more powerful 16-bit processors. Such 16-bit processors provide the video game system with a mechanism for performing the mathematics required for more sophisticated graphics. Such systems, for example, permit more sophisticated color generation and better graphics resolution. Such 16-bit video game machines are character-based systems which permit the implementation of a wide range of video games that can be pre-drawn into character-based or sprite graphics. Such 16-bit video game systems also permit the movement of multiple colored background planes at high speeds with moving objects disposed in back, or in front, of such planes.
However, such prior art 16-bit video game machines do not permit the practical implementation of advanced video games having 3-D type special effects which display sophisticated objects made up of polygons that must change during each frame. For example, games which require many fully rotating objects or sprites that must be enlarged and/or reduced on a frame-by-frame basis are not practically realizable in such prior art character-based 16-bit machines. The inventors have recognized that, in order to effectively implement such games involving fully rotating and scaled, polygon-based objects, it is necessary to draw the edges of polygons and fill in such polygon-based objects with appropriate data on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Such tasks, which must be done on a pixel-by-pixel basis, consume a great deal of processing time.
In the prior art, removable game cartridges have been modified to improve game sophistication by permitting existing processors to address a larger program memory address space than the existing number of address lines associated with the host microprocessor would otherwise permit. For example, such prior art 8-bit systems have utilized game cartridges including multi-memory controller chips which perform memory bank switching and other additional functions. Such memory bank switching related chips, however, are not capable of enabling the video game system to do high speed graphics processing of the nature described above.
The present invention addresses the above-described problems in the prior art by providing a unique, fully programmable, graphics microprocessor which is designed to be embodied in a removable external memory unit for connection with a host information processing system. In an exemplary embodiment described herein, the present invention is embodied in a video game system including a host video game system and a video game cartridge housing the graphics microprocessor.
The graphics microprocessor and the video game system described herein include many unique and advantageous features, some of which are summarized below.
In accordance with the present invention, a unique graphics processor is pluggably connected to a host microprocessor. In order to maximize processing speed, the graphics processor may operate in parallel with the host microprocessor. In one exemplary embodiment, the game cartridge in which the graphics coprocessor resides also includes a read-only memory (ROM) and a random-access memory (RAM).
The graphics coprocessor of the present invention arbitrates memory transactions between its own needs and data fetches from the host microprocessor. The processor is capable of executing programs simultaneously with the host microprocessor to permit high speed processing, heretofore not achievable in prior art video game systems.
The graphics coprocessor of the present invention operates in conjunction with a three bus architecture embodied on the game cartridge which permits effective utilization of the RAM and ROM cartridge memories by optimizing the ability of both the host and cartridge processors to efficiently use such memory devices.
The fully user programmable graphics coprocessor of the present invention includes a unique instruction set which is designed to permit high speed processing. The instruction set is designed to efficiently implement arithmetic operations associated with 3-D graphics and, for example, includes special instructions executed by dedicated hardware for plotting individual pixels in the host video game system's character mapped display.
Many of the instructions in the instruction set are capable of being executed in one machine cycle and are designed to be stored in one byte of program ROM. However, the instructions may be made more powerful through the use of special purpose, prefix instructions.
The instruction set includes unique pixel-based instructions which, from the programmer's point of view, create a “virtual” bit map by permitting the addressing of individual pixels—even though the host system is character based. The pixel data is converted on the fly by the graphics processor to character data of a format typically utilized by the host character based 16-bit machine. Thus, for example, although the programmer may use a unique “PLOT” instruction to plot a pixel, when related data is read to RAM, the data is converted to a character-based format which the 16 bit host machine is able to utilize. Special purpose pixel plotting hardware executes this instruction to efficiently permit high speed 3-D type graphics to be implemented.
The graphics coprocessor of the present invention also includes a unique “CACHE” instruction and a cache memory mechanism which permit program instructions stored in the program ROM to be executed at high speed by the graphics coprocessor from cache RAM. The CACHE instruction permits a programmer to automatically initiate the execution of program out of the graphics coprocessor internal cache RAM by delineating that part of the program which is to be executed at high speed.
The i
Cheese Ben
Graham Carl N.
San Jeremy E.
Warnes Peter R.
A/N Inc.
Brier Jeffery
Fouladi Faranak
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
LandOfFree
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