초록 ▼

A computer system having a pixel processing unit with multiple subprocessors receives positional data defining graphical objects from the CPU and writes pixel data into the image memory, and a display driver produces an image which partially includes the rendered pixels. The pixel processor is used

A computer system having a pixel processing unit with multiple subprocessors receives positional data defining graphical objects from the CPU and writes pixel data into the image memory, and a display driver produces an image which partially includes the rendered pixels. The pixel processor is used to access patches of multiple contiguous pixels at a time, and process them in parallel. The patches used are defined, within the overall geometry of the image, to have aligned corners. The unit is also connected to receive synchronization signals from the display driver, conditioned on whether the current line being accessed by the driver is within a specified range of lines in the image space. The unit is operable to command the pixel processing unit to write pixel data corresponding to all pixels covered by a polygon, and in response traverses portions of the image space by scanning portions of one row of patches of pixels at a time, and for some of the patches, testing only the pixels at the leading edge of the patch in the direction of scanning.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [9.] A computer system, comprising:a display providing a large number of selectably visible pixels;at least one central processing unit which manipulates graphical objects in an image space containing at least as many pixels as the number of pixels in said display;an image mem

[ What is claimed is:] [9.] A computer system, comprising:a display providing a large number of selectably visible pixels;at least one central processing unit which manipulates graphical objects in an image space containing at least as many pixels as the number of pixels in said display;an image memory, containing at least as many addressable pixel data locations as the number of pixels in said display;a display driver, which can access said pixel data locations in said image memory and drive said display, in accordance therewith, to produce a viewable image corresponding to the data stored in at least some pixel data locations in said image memory; anda pixel processing unit, connected to receive data which defines positions of graphical objects from said central processing unit, and accordingly to write pixel data into said image memory;wherein said pixel processing unit is connected for parallel access to said image memory, such that said pixel processing unit normally reads or writes data for a plurality of pixel locations, corresponding to a patch of pixels which are contiguous in said image space, in each single access to said image memory;and wherein said central processing unit is operable to command a line to be drawn between two specified endpoints, and in response thereto said pixel processing unit;incrementally selects the appropriate pixel patches for manipulation, by a method wherein a cumulative error term is carried forward from one patch to the next;accesses locations in said image memory corresponding to successively selected patches of pixels, and performs an interpolation operation to determine which pixels of each respective patch are part of said line, and selectively writes corresponding data, for the thus-determined pixels of said respective patch, into said image memory;wherein any two sequentially selected ones of said patches of pixels adjoin, in said image space, along an entire side of each patch;wherein said display driver produces an image on said display which at least partially includes the pixels rendered by said pixel processing unit; andwherein said pixel processing unit, prior to accessing data for a first one of said patches of pixels, selects first and second orthogonal directions, in accordance with the slope of said line, such that the positional offset of each said subsequent patch in said second direction cannot be greater than the positional offset thereof in said first direction.