Multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display subsystem employing a graphics hub device (GHD) for interconnecting CPU memory space and multple graphics processing pipelines (GPPLs) employed with said system

• US 20080088630A1
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lucid Information Technology, Ltd.
• Inventors: Bakalash, Reuven, Leviathan, Yaniv
• Granted Patent: US 7,777,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/505
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/501 Performance criteria
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/52 Parallel processing

Abstract

A multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system supporting real-time graphics rendering and display operations using a graphics hub device. The system includes a CPU memory space, one or more CPUs for executing graphics-based applications, and a multi-mode parallel graphics rendering system (MPGRS) supporting multiple modes of parallel operation including object division, image division, and time division. The MMPGRS includes a plurality of graphic processing pipelines (GPPLs) that support a parallel graphics rendering process employing one or more modes of parallel operation. Each mode of parallel operation includes at least a decomposition stage, a distribution stage and a recomposition stage, and the MMPGRS also includes a decomposition module for supporting the decomposition stage, a distribution module for supporting the distribution stage, a recomposition module for supporting the recomposition stage, and a graphics hub device (GHD) for interconnecting the CPU memory space with the GPPLs, and supporting basic functionalities of the distribution and recomposition modules during the run-time of the graphics-based application. An automatic mode controller automatically controls the mode of parallel operation of the parallel graphics rendering subsystem during the run-time of the graphics-based application.

Claims

1. A multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system capable of real-time graphics rendering and display operations using a graphics hub device, said multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system comprising:

CPU memory space for storing one or more graphics-based applications and a graphics library for generating graphics commands and data (GCAD) during the run-time of the graphics-based application;

one or more CPUs for executing said graphics-based applications; and

a multi-mode parallel graphics rendering system (MPGRS) supporting multiple modes of parallel operation selected from the group consisting of object division, image division, and time division, and said MMPGRS including

(i) a plurality of graphic processing pipelines (GPPLs) supporting a parallel graphics rendering process that employs one or more of said object division, image division and/or time division modes of parallel operation in order to execute graphic commands and process graphics data and render pixel images containing graphics for display on a display device during the run-time of said graphics-based application, and wherein each mode of parallel operation includes at least a decomposition stage, a distribution stage and a recomposition stage;

(ii) a decomposition module for supporting the decomposition stage of parallel operation;

(iii) a distribution module for supporting the distribution stage of parallel operation;

(iv) a recomposition module for supporting the recomposition stage of parallel operation;

(v) a graphics hub device (GHD) for interconnecting said CPU memory space with said GPPLs, and supporting basic functionalities of said distribution and recomposition modules during the run-time of said graphics-based application; and

(vi) an automatic mode controller for automatically controlling the mode of parallel operation of said parallel graphics rendering subsystem during the run-time of said graphics-based application.

2. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 1, wherein only one of said GPPLs is designated as the primary GPPL and is responsible for driving said display unit with a final pixel image composited within a frame buffer (FB) maintained by said primary GPPL, and all other GPPLs function as secondary GPPLs, supporting the pixel image recompositing process.

3. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 2,

wherein said decomposition module divides up the stream of graphic commands and data (GCAD) according to the required mode of parallel operation determined by said automatic mode control module;

wherein said distribution module physically distributes the streams of graphics commands and data to said plurality of GPPLs;

wherein said GPPLs execute said graphics commands using said graphics data and generate partial pixel data sets associated with frames of images to be composited, within the frame buffer, by the primary GPPL in said MMPGRS; and

wherein said recomposition module merges together the partial pixel data sets from produced from said GPPLs, according to mode of parallel operation at any instant in time, and producing a final pixel data set within the frame buffer of the primary GPPL, which is sent into said display device for display.

4. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 1, wherein said distribution and recomposition modules are implemented within said graphics hub device.

5. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 1, wherein said graphics hub device further comprises an interconnect network allowing for operable communication between said GPPLs and said one or more CPUs.

6. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 5, wherein said interconnect network comprises a cross-bar switch.

7. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 1, wherein said graphics hub device is realized as a single semiconductor chip.

8. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 1, wherein said graphics hub device is realized as a semiconductor chipset.

9. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 5, wherein said graphics hub device supports the merging of pixel data during the recomposition stage using said interconnect network and said GPPLs, independent of other tasks concurrently attempting to access said CPU memory space.

10. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 1, wherein said graphics hub device can be embodied within different system architectures selected from the group consisting of:

HUB;

HUB+GPU-Recomposition;

Chipset;

CPU/GPU Fusion;

Multicore CPU; and

Game Console.

11. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 1, wherein each said GPPL is a GPU-based GPPL which comprises:

(i) a video memory structure supporting a frame buffer including stencil, depth and color buffers, and

(ii) a graphics processing unit (GPU) supporting (1) a geometry subsystem having an input assembler, a vertex shader and a geometry shader, (2) a rasterizer, and (3) a pixel subsystem including a pixel shader receiving pixel data from said frame buffer and raster operators operating on pixel data in said frame buffer.

12. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 1, wherein each said GPPL is a CPU-based GPPL which comprises:

(i) a video memory structure supporting a frame buffer including stencil, depth and color buffers; and

(ii) a graphics processing pipeline realized by one cell of a multi-core CPU chip, consisting of a plurality of processors.

13. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 12, wherein said plurality of processors comprises a plurality of in-order SIMD processors.

14. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 12, wherein said CPU-based GPPL further comprises:

(iii) a texture sampler for loading texture maps from memory, filtering said texture maps for level-of-detail, and feeding said texture maps to the pixel processing portion of said CPU-based GPPL.

15. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 1, which further comprises said display device for displaying said pixel-composited images during the run-time of said graphics-based application.

16. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 15, wherein said display device is a device selected from the group consisting of an flat-type display panel, a projection-type display panel, and other image display devices.

17. The multi-mode parallel graphics rendering and display system of claim 1, which is a machine selected from the group consisting of a PC-level computer, information server, laptop, game console system, portable computing system, and any computational-based machine supporting the real-time generation and display of 3D graphics.