System and method for procedurally synthesizing datasets of objects of interest for training machine-learning models
Granted: April 26, 2022
Patent Number:
11314985
The disclosure provides method of training a machine-learning model employing a procedurally synthesized training dataset, a machine that includes a trained machine-learning model, and a method of operating a machine. In one example, the method of training includes: (1) generating training image definitions in accordance with variations in content of training images to be included in a training dataset, (2) rendering the training images corresponding to the training image definitions,…
Apparatus and method for enhancing motion estimation based on user input
Granted: April 19, 2022
Patent Number:
11310513
A method and apparatus for enhancing motion estimation based on user input are provided. The motion estimation apparatus used for video encoding comprises a receiver operable to receive a user based input and an input analysis module operable to analyzed the user based input. The apparatus also comprises an encoder that is operable to compute displacement coordinates from the analyzed user based input for a current block in a target frame of a video stream and operable to determine a…
Ray-tracing for auto exposure
Granted: April 19, 2022
Patent Number:
11308684
In various examples, a virtual light meter may be implemented along with ray tracing techniques in order to determine incident light values—e.g., incoming irradiance, incident radiance, etc.—for adjusting auto exposure values of rendered frames. For example, one or more rays may be used to sample incident light over a sampling pattern—such as a hemispherical sampling pattern—for any position in a virtual game environment. As a result, the incident light values may be sampled near…
Motion adaptive rendering using variable rate shading
Granted: April 19, 2022
Patent Number:
11308658
Motion adaptive shading increases rendering performance for real-time animation in graphics systems while maintaining dynamic image quality. Each frame of an animation is statically displayed within a refresh interval, while a viewer's eyes move continuously relative to the image when actively tracking a moving object being displayed. As a result, a statically displayed frame is essentially smeared across the viewer's continuously moving retina over the lifetime of the frame, causing a…
Distance to obstacle detection in autonomous machine applications
Granted: April 19, 2022
Patent Number:
11308338
In various examples, a deep neural network (DNN) is trained to accurately predict, in deployment, distances to objects and obstacles using image data alone. The DNN may be trained with ground truth data that is generated and encoded using sensor data from any number of depth predicting sensors, such as, without limitation, RADAR sensors, LIDAR sensors, and/or SONAR sensors. Camera adaptation algorithms may be used in various embodiments to adapt the DNN for use with image data generated…
Dynamic partitioning of execution resources
Granted: April 19, 2022
Patent Number:
11307903
Embodiments of the present invention set forth techniques for allocating execution resources to groups of threads within a graphics processing unit. A compute work distributor included in the graphics processing unit receives an indication from a process that a first group of threads is to be launched. The compute work distributor determines that a first subcontext associated with the process has at least one processor credit. In some embodiments, CTAs may be launched even when there are…
Graphics processing unit systems for performing data analytics operations in data science
Granted: April 19, 2022
Patent Number:
11307863
Systems and methods are provided for efficiently performing processing intensive operations, such as those involving large volumes of data, that enable accelerated processing time of these operations. In at least one embodiment, a system includes a graphics processor unit (GPU) including a memory and a plurality of cores. The plurality of cores perform a plurality of data analytics operations on a respectively allocated portion of a dataset, each of the plurality of cores using only the…
Analysis of point cloud data using depth maps
Granted: April 12, 2022
Patent Number:
11301697
Various types of systems or technologies can be used to collect data in a 3D space. For example, LiDAR (light detection and ranging) and RADAR (radio detection and ranging) systems are commonly used to generate point cloud data for 3D space around vehicles, for such functions as localization, mapping, and tracking. This disclosure provides improved techniques for processing the point cloud data that has been collected. The improved techniques include mapping 3D point cloud data points…
Area light shadows in computer generated scenes
Granted: April 12, 2022
Patent Number:
11302068
Determining the occlusions or shadows for an area light within a scene is difficult, especially realistic shadowing in large and dynamic scenes. The disclosure provides an adaptive occlusion sampling process that uses voxel cone tracing to distribute the voxel tracing cones on the surface of area lights to obtain samples for shadowing in computer generated images or scenes. A method of adaptive occlusion sampling from a rectangular area light is disclosed that can be used to provide…
Techniques for traversing data employed in ray tracing
Granted: April 12, 2022
Patent Number:
11302056
Ray tracing hardware accelerators supporting multiple specifiers for controlling the traversal of a ray tracing acceleration data structure are disclosed. For example, traversal efficiency and complex ray tracing effects can be achieved by specifying traversals through such data structures using both programmable ray operations and explicit node masking. The explicit node masking utilizes dedicated fields in the ray and in nodes of the acceleration data structure to control traversals.…
Photon-based image illumination rendering
Granted: April 5, 2022
Patent Number:
11295515
The present invention facilitates efficient and effective image processing. A network can comprise: a first system configured to perform a first portion of lighting calculations for an image and combing results of the first portion of lighting calculations for the image with results of a second portion of lighting calculations; and a second system configured to perform the second portion of lighting calculations and forward the results of the second portion of the lighting calculations…
Inverse rendering of a scene from a single image
Granted: April 5, 2022
Patent Number:
11295514
Inverse rendering estimates physical scene attributes (e.g., reflectance, geometry, and lighting) from image(s) and is used for gaming, virtual reality, augmented reality, and robotics. An inverse rendering network (IRN) receives a single input image of a 3D scene and generates the physical scene attributes for the image. The IRN is trained by using the estimated physical scene attributes generated by the IRN to reproduce the input image and updating parameters of the IRN to reduce…
Hardware-based techniques applicable for ray tracing for efficiently representing and processing an arbitrary bounding volume
Granted: April 5, 2022
Patent Number:
11295508
A bounding volume is used to approximate the space an object occupies. If a more precise understanding beyond an approximation is required, the object itself is then inspected to determine what space it occupies. Often, a simple volume (such as an axis-aligned box) is used as bounding volume to approximate the space occupied by an object. But objects can be arbitrary, complicated shapes. So a simple volume often does not fit the object very well. That causes a lot of space that is not…
Asynchronous data movement pipeline
Granted: April 5, 2022
Patent Number:
11294713
Apparatuses, systems, and techniques to parallelize operations in one or more programs with data copies from global memory to shared memory in each of the one or more programs. In at least one embodiment, a program performs operations on shared data and then asynchronously copies shared data to shared memory, and continues performing additional operations in parallel while the shared data is copied to shared memory until an indicator provided by an application programming interface to…
Full adder cell with improved power efficiency
Granted: April 5, 2022
Patent Number:
11294631
An adder circuit that includes an operand input and a second operand input to an XNOR cell. The XNOR cell is configured to provide the operand input and the second operand input to both a NAND gate and a first OAI cell. A second OAI cell transforms the output of the XNOR cell into a carry out signal.
Simplifying power sequencing for integrated circuits
Granted: April 5, 2022
Patent Number:
11294441
In various embodiments, rail decoupling circuits that are powered by an always on voltage rail allow a core voltage rail to power up independently of an I/O voltage rail without jeopardizing I/O pad circuits that are powered by the I/O voltage rail. In an embodiment, when the always on voltage rail is powered-up and a chip reset signal is asserted, the rail decoupling circuits drive control inputs of the I/O pad circuits based on default values. When the chip reset signal is de-asserted,…
Detection of misalignment hotspots for high definition maps for navigating autonomous vehicles
Granted: March 22, 2022
Patent Number:
11280609
A high-definition map system receives sensor data from vehicles travelling along routes and combines the data to generate a high definition map for use in driving vehicles, for example, for guiding autonomous vehicles. A pose graph is built from the collected data, each pose representing location and orientation of a vehicle. The pose graph is optimized to minimize constraints between poses. Points associated with surface are assigned a confidence measure determined using a measure of…
Start-up performance improvement for remote application
Granted: March 22, 2022
Patent Number:
11284160
A method for remotely provisioning resources for running a computer application is described. The method includes: receiving a request to execute a computer application using a virtual machine, the computer application having a static video portion and a user interactive video portion; while preparing the user interactive video portion, providing the static video portion to a user device remotely positioned relative to a server hosting the virtual machine; and streaming the user…
Adaptive sampling at a target sampling rate
Granted: March 22, 2022
Patent Number:
11282258
Image quality can be improved by rendering the image based on an importance map that indicates regions of the image that will benefit from more samples. Adaptive sampling determines a number of samples for each pixel of the image using a target sampling rate and the importance map for the image. The number of samples for each pixel needs to be a non-negative integer value, so the per-pixel sampling rates are quantized using per-pixel random values. The resulting quantized sampling rates…
Performing autonomous path navigation using deep neural networks
Granted: March 22, 2022
Patent Number:
11281221
A method, computer readable medium, and system are disclosed for performing autonomous path navigation using deep neural networks. The method includes the steps of receiving image data at a deep neural network (DNN), determining, by the DNN, both an orientation of a vehicle with respect to a path and a lateral position of the vehicle with respect to the path, utilizing the image data, and controlling a location of the vehicle, utilizing the orientation of the vehicle with respect to the…
