Graphics engine architecture
US6466220B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 5, 1999 |
| Grant date | Oct 15, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 5, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG09G2340/10
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for display of graphical data is described. The invention provides an architecture for graphics processing. The architecture includes pipelined processing and support for multi-regional graphics. In one embodiment, a graphics driver according to the invention can receive multiple independent streams of graphical data that can be in different graphical formats. The independent streams are synchronized and converted to a common format prior to being processed. In one embodiment, multi-regional graphics are supported with off-screen and on-screen memory regions for processing. The regions of the multi-regional graphic are rendered in an off-screen memory. The data in the off-screen memory are converted to a common format and copied to on-screen memory. The data in the on-screen memory is used to generate an output image. Alpha blending can also be programmed to provide multi-regional graphics or other graphical features. In one embodiment, graphics processing is programmable and can be paced using a set of registers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.