System and method for improved digital differential analyzer
US6510442B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 12, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jan 21, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 12, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F17/13
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A digital differential analyzer (DDA) is described that avoids using comparisons, and instead uses shifts, multiplies, and adds. Shifts are less costly to use in terms of processor time, and already exist in the hardware of a computer graphics system. The DDA provides improved linear interpolation procedures for use in computer graphics applications such as line drawing, computing polygon edges, texture mapping, and image scaling. The shifts are used to generate an “imposter” DDA having a larger denominator that substantially exactly simulates a DDA for a finite number of terms. The imposter DDA is a fixed point simulator of the original DDA that provides error-free approximations.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.