Image processor and image processing method

• US 6,211,890 B1
• Filed: 06/29/1998
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohba, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M.
• Application Number:
  US08/945,580
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 345/502, 345/506, 345/503, 345/501, 345/514, 345/507, 345/419, 345/430, 345/522, 463/30, 463/32, 463/43, 463/45
• US Class Current: 345/506
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/60 Memory management

Abstract

A main CPU 11, a main memory 12, a main DMAC (direct memory access controller) 13 and a picture processing unit (graphic processing unit or GPU) 15 are interconnected over a main bus 1. In an input/output unit of each of the main CPU 11 and the GPU 15 are mounted programmable packet engines (PPE) 112, 152 capable of modifying the data packetizing/unpacketizing sequence in order to perform packet transfer with freedom in the packet form. This affords freedom to the packet form to realize efficient development and packing of packet data and efficient drawing processing.

Claims

1. A picture processing apparatus having a plurality of picture processing units interconnected over an external bus and a memory, wherein the improvement comprises

a first packet engine at a data inlet stage of at least one picture processing unit, wherein said first packet engine can modify a data unpacketizing sequence;

and

a second packet engine for packetizing data at a data output stage of another picture processing unit, wherein said second packet engine appends the appendage information specifying the unpacketizing sequence associated with the packetizing sequence to a packet at the time of data packetizing, said first packet engine performing unpacketizing in accordance with the sequence specified by said appendage information at the time of unpacketizing.

2. The picture processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second packet engines have sequence selection means for selecting the data packetizing/unpacketizing sequence, said second packet engine appending the tag information specifying the data packetizing/unpacketizing sequence as selected during packetizing by said sequence selection means to a packet, said first packet engine selecting the sequence as designated by said tag information during unpacketizing by said sequence selection means.

3. The picture processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 comprising:

a first picture processing unit having a geometry processing function of defining a three-dimensional model as a combination of unit figures for formulating drawing commands for drawing a three-dimensional figure, said first picture processing unit packetizing the drawing commands thus formulated to send the packetized drawing commands by said first packet engine as a command packet over an external bus; and

a second picture processing unit, as said picture processing units, for unpacketizing the command packet sent from the first picture processing unit by said first packet engine, interpreting the drawing command sent as the command packet and performing the rendering processing of writing the pixel data in a frame buffer.

5. The picture processing method as claimed in claim 3 comprising selecting the data packetizing/unpacketizing sequence during data packetizing and appending the tag information specifying the selected data unpacketizing sequence to a packet, by said second packet engine, and selecting the unpacketizing sequence as designated by said tag information during data unpackaging by said first packet engine for performing the data unpackaging.

6. The picture processing method as claimed in claim 5 comprising:

performing, by a first picture processing unit, geometry processing of defining a three-dimensional model as a combination of unit figures for formulating drawing commands for drawing a three-dimensional figure, packetizing the drawing commands thus formulated by the second packet engine and sending the packetized commands as a command packet over an external bus; and

unpacketizing the command packet sent from the first picture processing unit by said first packet engine, in a second picture processing unit, interpreting the drawing command sent as the command packet and performing the rendering processing of writing the pixel data in a frame buffer.

4. A picture processing method carried out by a picture processing apparatus having a plurality of picture processing units interconnected over an external bus and a memory, wherein the improvement comprises

performing data unpacketizing by a first packet engine at a data inlet stage of at least one picture processing unit, said first packet engine being capable of modifying a data unpacketizing sequence;

and

packetizing data by a second packet engine provided at a data output stage of another picture processing unit, wherein said second packet engine appends the appendage information specifying the unpacketizing sequence associated with the packetizing sequence to a packet at the time of data packetizing and wherein data unpacketizing is performed by said first packet engine in accordance with the sequence specified by said appendage information at the time of data unpacketizing.