Graphics system with embedded frame butter having reconfigurable pixel formats

• US 7,576,748 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Van Hook, Timothy J., Fouladi, Farhad
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hau H
• Application Number:
  US11/398,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20060197768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 345545-547, 345/542, 345/422, 345/600, 345603-605, 345/611, 345/613
• US Class Current: 345/546
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers

Abstract

A graphics system including a custom graphics and audio processor produces exciting 2D and 3D graphics and surround sound. The system includes a graphics and audio processor including a 3D graphics pipeline and an audio digital signal processor. The graphics system has a graphics processor includes an embedded frame buffer for storing frame data prior to sending the frame data to an external location, such as main memory. The embedded frame buffer is selectively configurable to store the following pixel formats: point sampled RGB color and depth, super-sampled RGB color and depth, and YUV (luma/chroma). Graphics commands are provided which enable the programmer to configure the embedded frame buffer for any of the pixel formats on a frame-by-frame basis.

Claims

1. A graphics processor, including:

image processing circuitry; and

an embedded frame buffer;

wherein the embedded frame buffer is selectively configurable to receive data in any of the following formats;

point sampled color and depth;

super-sampled color and depth; and

YUV, wherein the point sampled format is a 48-bit format and the super-sampled format is a 96-bit format.

2. The graphics processor of claim 1, wherein the 48-bit format includes 24 color bits and 24 depth bits.

3. The graphics processor of claim 2, wherein the embedded frame buffer is further configurable such that the 24 color bits selectively include either 8 bits for red, 8 bits for blue and 8 bits for green (RGB8) or 6 bits for red, 6 bits for green, 6 bits for blue and 6 bits for alpha (RGBA6).

4. The graphics processor of claim 2, wherein the 96-bit format includes color and depth data for three super-sample locations for a pixel.

5. The graphics processor of claim 4, wherein the super-sample color data is 16 bits and the super-sample depth data is 16 bits.

6. The graphics processor of claim 5, wherein the 16 bit super-sample color data includes 5 bits for red, 6 bits for green and 5 bits for blue (R5G6B5).

7. The graphics processor of claim 1, wherein the YUV format is a YUV 4:

2;

0 format.

8. The graphics processor of claim 1, wherein the embedded frame buffer is a dynamic random access memory (DRAM).

9. A graphics system, comprising a graphics chip having graphics processing circuitry and an embedded frame buffer for storing frame data prior to sending the frame data to an external location, wherein the embedded frame buffer is selectively configurable between the following pixel formats:

RGB8 and 24 bit Z;

RGBA6 and 24 bit Z;

Three R5G6B5 color and 16 bit Z super-samples; and

YUV4;

2;

0.

10. The graphics system of claim 9, wherein in the YUV 4:

2;

0 configuration, a color buffer of the embedded frame buffer is partitioned to store 720×

576 Y, 360×

288 U and 360×

288 V image planes for a YUV 4;

2;

0 frame.

11. The graphics system of claim 9, further including an interface to the graphics system that enables a programmer to selectively configure the embedded frame buffer.

12. The graphics system of claim 11, wherein the interface enables the embedded frame buffer to be reconfigured on a frame-by-frame basis.

13. In a graphics chip having pixel processing circuitry and an embedded frame buffer for storing pixel data prior to transferring the pixel data to an external destination, an improvement comprising:

a reconfigurable embedded frame buffer which can be selectively configured to store any of the following pixel formats;

48 bit point sampled color and Z;

96 bit super-sampled color and Z; and

YUV.

14. The graphics chip of claim 13, wherein the embedded frame buffer is further selectively configurable to store the following 48 bit formats:

RGB8 and 24 bit Z; and

RGBA6 and 24 bit Z.

15. The graphics chip of claim 13, wherein the YUV format is a YUV 4:

2;

0 format.

16. A method of using an embedded frame buffer in a graphics system, including the steps of:

providing an embedded frame buffer that is selectively configurable to store image data in either RGB color format or YUV color format;

providing an interface to the graphics system which controls the configuration of the embedded frame buffer; and

enabling the RGB color format to be configured as either a 48-bit point sampled color and Z format or a 96-bit super-sampled color and Z format.

17. The method of claim 16, further including enabling the 48-bit format to selectively include an RGB8 and 24 bit Z format or an RGBA6 and 24 bit Z format.

18. The method of claim 16, further including defining the YUV format as a YUV 4:

2;

0 format.