Interface for synchronous data transfer between domains clocked at different frequencies
Granted: February 19, 2008
Patent Number:
7333516
The present invention provides an interface and method for synchronous data transfer between domains clocked at different frequencies. The interface includes a first latch for receiving data from a first domain clocked at one frequency when the first latch is selected and a second latch for receiving data from the first domain when the second latch is selected. A third latch is provided for transferring data from either the first latch or the second latch to the second domain when the…
Method of and apparatus for compressing and uncompressing image data
Granted: February 12, 2008
Patent Number:
7330587
The present invention provides for a method of and apparatus for compressing and uncompressing image data. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method of compressing a color cell comprises the steps of: defining at least four luminance levels of the color cell; generating a bitmask for the color cell, the bitmask having a plurality of entries each corresponding to a respective one of the pixels, each of the entries for storing data identifying one of the luminance…
Anticipatory programmable interface pre-driver
Granted: February 5, 2008
Patent Number:
7327167
This document discusses, among other things, a circuit for selectively engaging an output section based on a received data signal. The output is driven to a high-impedance state in anticipation of a possible change in driving agent. An output section includes active transistor elements and a pre-driver.
Synchronization circuits for the distribution of unique data to scattered locations
Granted: November 27, 2007
Patent Number:
7302027
A system and method for distributing data in a system. The system comprises a control register logic circuits located at scattered locations in the system, where a location is defined as scattered if the propagation delay of data sent from the control register is more than approximately one clock period. The system also comprises one or more shift registers coupled to the control register and the logic circuits. A section of each shift register is placed in proximity to each logic…
Method, system, and computer program product for blending textures in a texture paging scheme
Granted: November 13, 2007
Patent Number:
7295212
Methods, systems, and computer program products for blending textures used to render computer generated images are provided. In an embodiment of the invention, a MIP-mapped mask texture is constructed. Each MIP-level of the MIP-mapped mask texture includes texels representative of different mask information. The MIP-mapped mask texture is sampled during rendering to obtain mask information. The obtained mask information is used to blend between textures. The invention is used to blend,…
System method and computer program product for remote graphics processing
Granted: September 25, 2007
Patent Number:
7274368
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for remote rendering of computer graphics. The system includes a graphics application program resident at a remote server. The graphics application is invoked by a user or process located at a client. The invoked graphics application proceeds to issue graphics instructions. The graphics instructions are received by a remote rendering control system. Given that the client and server differ with respect to graphics context and…
Method and apparatus for communicating computer data from one point to another over a communications medium
Granted: July 24, 2007
Patent Number:
7248635
The present invention is directed toward a communications channel comprising a link level protocol, a driver, a receiver, and a canceller/equalizer. The link level protocol provides logic for DC-free signal encoding and recovery as well as supporting many features including CRC error detection and message resend to accommodate infrequent bit errors across the medium. The canceller/equalizer provides equalization for destabilized data signals and also provides simultaneous bi-directional…
Transparent distribution and execution of data in a multiprocessor environment
Granted: July 24, 2007
Patent Number:
7249357
Apparatus, methods, data structures, and systems are provided for subdividing input data associated with a first software program into job quanta, wherein each job quantum is operable to be executed by a separate software program residing on a different processing element from the first software program. The first software program and the separate software program execute substantially in parallel and output data associated with the executions of the programs are assembled into a single…
System and method for communicating image data using error correction coding
Granted: July 10, 2007
Patent Number:
7243291
A method for communicating video data is provided that includes generating a plurality of error correction code bits and positioning the error correction code bits in a stream of image data such that the stream of image data is encoded. The stream of image data may then be received and encoded in order to convert the stream of image data into a digital visual interface (DVI) format. The stream of image data may then be decoded such that the stream of image data may be displayed in the…
System and method for a hierarchical system management architecture of a highly scalable computing system
Granted: May 15, 2007
Patent Number:
7219156
A modular computer system includes at least two processing functional modules each including a processing unit adapted to process data and adapted to input/output data to other functional modules through at least two ports with each port including a plurality of data lines. At least one routing functional module is adapted to route data and adapted to input/output data to other functional modules through at least two ports with each port including a plurality of data lines. At least one…
System and method for graphics culling
Granted: May 1, 2007
Patent Number:
7212204
A method is disclosed for culling an object database in a graphics processing system. In one embodiment, the method comprises encoding per-object parameters and culling parameters. The per-object parameters are encoded in texture format thereby creating at least one per-object texture containing the encoded per-object parameters. Next, a fragment program used in a fragment processor of the GPU is optionally updated. The updated fragment program embodies a culling operation. A polygon is…
System and method for providing access to a bus
Granted: March 27, 2007
Patent Number:
7197589
A computer system (10) includes a bus controller (12), a bus (14), a plurality of processing devices (16) and a plurality of enabling switches (18). Each enabling switch (18) corresponds to a separate one of the processing devices (16). Each processing device (16) sends an access request (24) to arbitration logic (22) in the bus controller (12), requesting access to the bus (14). The arbitration logic (22) selects one of the access requests (24) according to a priority protocol. The…
System and method for performing address translation in a computer system
Granted: February 20, 2007
Patent Number:
7181589
An address translation unit generates a physical address for access to a memory from a virtual address using either a translation lookaside buffer or a segmentation buffer. If the virtual address falls within a predetermined range, the address translation unit will use the segmentation buffer to generate the physical address. Upon generation of the physical address, the memory will either receive data from or provide data to a processor in accordance with the instructions being processed…
Memory access management in a shared memory multi-processor system
Granted: February 6, 2007
Patent Number:
7174437
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a requester node to transmit a request for data in a memory. The apparatus also includes a service node that includes the memory. The service node receives the request for the data, wherein the service node is to set a congestion flag in response to the request sent back to the requester node upon determining that access to the data is congested. The requester node is to freeze priority updates for the data upon receipt of the congestion flag.
Spacial derivative bus encoder and decoder
Granted: January 23, 2007
Patent Number:
7167523
A method and apparatus for providing efficient and accurate electronic data transmission of information on a data bus in the presence of noise. Data signals are received on a plurality of input lines by a spacial derivative encoder. The spacial derivative encoder encodes the signals and transmits them to a receiver having a spacial derivative decoder. The spacial derivative decoder then decodes the signals. Minimal overhead is required as for n input lines only n+1 lines are needed to…
System and method for allocating computing resources
Granted: January 23, 2007
Patent Number:
7168049
A system and method for allocating computing resources. The system obtains a current set of connections from the matrix switch and then renders a display which reflects the current state of the connections. Source and destination ports are displayed as icons with each icon bearing a label that describes the corresponding source or destination. In some embodiments, a user clicks on a source icon and drags it onto a destination icon to route a particular source to a destination. Dragging a…
Method and apparatus for processing primitive data for potential display on a display device
Granted: January 2, 2007
Patent Number:
7158132
A method and apparatus for processing a primitive (for potential display as a part of a graphical image on a display device) cause attribute data to be received by a graphics processor as a function of whether the primitive is capable of being viewable in the graphical image on the display device. Before taking that action, however, the method and apparatus assemble the primitive as a function of its positional data, and then determine if the primitive is capable of being viewable in the…
Display capable of displaying images in response to signals of a plurality of signal formats
Granted: November 21, 2006
Patent Number:
7138989
A display is capable of displaying images in response to signals of a plurality of signal formats. The display includes a controller that is coupled to a plurality of image data interfaces. When the plurality of image data interfaces are simultaneously operating, the controller selects one of the plurality of image data interfaces according to preference variables associated with each of the plurality of image data interfaces. Each of the preference variables may indicate a relative…
System and method for managing graphics applications
Granted: November 21, 2006
Patent Number:
7140024
A system and method for managing graphics applications include the capability to manage the conveyance of graphics data from an aware graphics application to a plurality of graphics pipes and to manage the conveyance of graphics data from an unaware graphics application to a plurality of graphics pipes. The system and method also include the capability to coherently manage the windows for aware and unaware applications.
System and method for providing a wide aspect ratio flat panel display monitor independent white-balance adjustment and gamma correction capabilities
Granted: November 14, 2006
Patent Number:
7136076
A system and method are described herein for controlling the white balance and providing gamma correction without compromising gray-scale dynamic range in a flat panel liquid crystal display (LCD). According to one embodiment of the present invention, the flat panel LCD includes electronic circuitry for coupling to a host computer to receive a white-balance adjustment control signal, and electronic circuitry for receiving image data to be rendered on the flat panel LCD. Further, the flat…
