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 Title: |
US6633297:
System and method for producing an antialiased image using a merge buffer
[ Derwent Title ]
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| Country: |
US United States of America
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| Inventor: |
McCormack, Joel James; Boulder, CO
Farkas, Keith Istvan; San Carlos, CA
Jouppi, Norman P.; Palo Alto, CA
Seiler, Larry Dean; Boylston, MA
McNamara, Robert Stephen; Portola Valley, CA
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| Assignee: |
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., Houston, TX
other patents from HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P. (815532) (approx. 1,981)
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| Published / Filed: |
2003-10-14
/ 2001-08-20
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| Application Number: |
US2001000934282
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| IPC Code: |
Advanced:
G06T 11/40;
G06T 15/00;
Core:
more...
IPC-7:
G06T 1/20;
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| ECLA Code: |
G06T1/60; G06T11/40;
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| U.S. Class: |
345/506;
345/419;
345/421;
345/423;
345/629;
345/582;
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| Field of Search: |
345/506,505,503,419,421,423,619,629,582
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| Priority Number: |
| 2001-08-20 |
US2001000934282 |
| 2000-08-18 |
US2000000226500P |
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| Abstract: |
In a graphics pipeline, a rasterizer circuit generates fragments for an image having multiple surfaces that have been tessellated into primitive objects, such as triangles. First and second fragments are associated with the same pixel. A merge buffer merges the first fragment with the second fragment when the two fragments belong to the same tessellated surface, the first fragment's primitive is adjacent to the second fragment's primitive, both fragments face either toward or away from the viewer, and the first and second fragment are sufficiently similar that merging is unlikely to introduce visually objectionable artifacts. A frame buffer receives fragments from the merge buffer, stores the fragments, combines the fragments into pixels, and outputs the pixels to a display.</PTEXT>
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| Primary / Asst. Examiners: |
Bella, Matthew C.; Monestime, Mackly
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| INPADOC Legal Status: |
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| Parent Case: |
This application claims priority on U.S. provisional patent application 60/226,500, filed Aug. 18, 2000.
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| Family: |
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First Claim:
Show all 71 claims |
What is claimed is:
1. A graphics pipeline comprising:
- a rasterizer circuit that generates fragments for an image, the image having multiple surfaces, each surface tessellated into primitive objects; the image including a pixel having associated therewith a first and a second fragment; the first fragment being generated by the rasterizer circuit and having associated therewith an object comprising a respective primitive object of said primitive objects; and the second fragment being selected from a group consisting of a fragment generated by the rasterizer circuit and having associated therewith an object comprising a respective primitive object of said primitive objects, and a combination of a plurality of fragments generated by the rasterizer circuit and having associated therewith an object comprising a union of a plurality of respective primitive objects of said primitive objects;
- a merge buffer that combines the first fragment with the second fragment to create a new merged fragment that replaces the first and second fragment when predefined merge criteria are met, the predefined merge criteria include criteria that probabilistically establish that the first fragment's associated object is adjacent to the second fragment's associated object, that the first and second fragments are from a common tessellated surface of the multiple surfaces, and that the first and second fragments are sufficiently similar to avoid visually objectionable artifacts when the first and second fragments are merged; and
- a frame buffer that receives fragments from the merge buffer, the frame buffer storing fragments and outputting the fragments combined into pixels to a display.
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| Background / Summary: |
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| Drawing Descriptions: |
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| Description: |
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| Forward References: |
Show 9 U.S. patent(s) that reference this one
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