Multi-context graphics processing

• US 8,289,333 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schreyer, Richard, Swift, Michael James Elliott
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hau
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cain, II, Leon T
• Application Number:
  US12/397,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20090225089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/506
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/60 Memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures

Abstract

A method of managing multiple contexts for a single mode display includes receiving a plurality of tasks from one or more applications and determining respective contexts for each task, each context having a range of memory addresses. The method also includes selecting one context for output to the single mode display and loading the selected context into a graphics processor for the display.

Claims

1. A method of multi-stage pipeline graphics processing, comprising:

receiving a plurality of graphics processing tasks;

determining respective contexts for each task;

performing, by a computer, a first graphics processing operation for each of said contexts using a first portion of a graphics memory, wherein the first portion of graphics memory is shared by each said first graphics processing operation for each of said contexts; and

performing a second graphics processing operation on results of said performing a first graphics processing operation, wherein said performing a second graphics processing operation occurs using a different portion of said graphics memory for each context, and wherein each different portion of said graphics memory for each context is separate from the first portion of graphics memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first graphics processing operation comprises a tiling operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said second graphics processing operation comprises a rendering operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion is determined using a first segment of a page table associated with each context.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the different portions are determined using a second segment of a page table associated with each context.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each context is associated with a page table that has a first segment associated with the first graphics processing operation, and a second segment associated with the second graphics processing operation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said performing a first graphics operation is configured to be performed using less memory resources than said performing a second graphics operation.

8. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium storing executable instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations for multi-stage pipeline graphics processing, the operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of graphics processing tasks;

determining respective contexts for each task,

performing, by a computer, a first graphics processing operation for each of said contexts using a first portion of a graphics memory, wherein the first portion of graphics memory is shared by each said first graphics processing operation for each of said contexts; and

performing a second graphics processing operation on results of said performing a first graphics processing operation, wherein said performing a second graphics processing operation occurs using a different portion of said graphics memory for each context, and wherein each different portion of said graphics memory for each context is separate from the first portion of graphics memory.

9. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein said first graphics processing operation comprises a tiling operation.

10. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein said second graphics processing operation comprises a rendering operation.

11. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first portion is determined using a first segment of a page table associated with each context.

12. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the different portions are determined using a second segment of a page table associated with each context.

13. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein each context is associated with a page table that has a first segment associated with the first graphics processing operation, and a second segment associated with the second graphics processing operation.

14. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein said performing a first graphics operation is configured to be performed using less memory resources than said performing a second graphics operation.

15. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of graphics processing tasks;

means for determining respective contexts for each task,

means for performing, by a computer, a first graphics processing operation for each of said contexts using a first portion of a graphics memory, wherein the first portion of graphics memory is shared by each said first graphics processing operation for each of said contexts; and

means for performing a second graphics processing operation on results of said performing a first graphics processing operation, wherein said performing a second graphics processing operation occurs using a different portion of said graphics memory for each context, and wherein each different portion of said graphics memory for each context is separate from the first portion of graphics memory.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein said first graphics processing operation comprises a tiling operation.

17. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein said second graphics processing operation comprises a rendering operation.

18. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the first portion is determined using a first segment of a page table associated with each context.

19. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the different portions are determined using a second segment of a page table associated with each context.

20. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein each context is associated with a page table that has a first segment associated with the first graphics processing operation, and a second segment associated with the second graphics processing operation.

21. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein said performing a first graphics operation is configured to be performed using less memory resources than said performing a second graphics operation.