System and method for speculative execution in a geometry accelerator
US5883641A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 29, 1997 |
| Grant date | Mar 16, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 29, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T15/005
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for performing speculative execution of state machine operation in a graphics accelerator. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the method includes the step of executing steps in a first state machine that is operating on a graphic primitive. As is known, a graphic primitive is defined by a plurality of vertices. In accordance with the invention, the preferred embodiment receives the coordinate parameters for the second to last primitive vertex. Then it evaluates one or more conditions that indicate whether steps in a second state machine need to be executed, based upon parameters of primitive vertices already received. It then branches to and begins executing steps in another state machine, based upon the tentative conditions, and continuing execution of the steps in the transformation state machine in parallel with the continued execution of the steps in the another state machine. After a predetermined number of states, the method reevaluates the one or more conditions, at which time the value of the one or more conditions is no longer tentative, but determinative of the next state information. Then, the method invokes a reset condition, aborts exec…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.