Graphics processing unit for adjusting level-of-detail, method of operating the same, and devices including the same

• US 9,905,036 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Seok Hoon, Yu, Chang Hyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chauhan, Ulka
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yoon, Sae Won
• Application Number:
  US14/812,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20160104458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 345423
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/36 Level of detail
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers

Abstract

A graphics processing unit includes a shader configured to perform one operation among tessellation and texturing. The shader generates level-of-detail (LOD) using geometry information for the tessellation or texturing and adjusts the LOD using non-geometry information for the tessellation or texturing.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting level-of-detail (LOD) using a graphics processing unit including a shader configured to perform one operation from among either tessellation or texturing, the method comprising:

the graphics processing unit receiving output attributes including geometry information and non-geometry information;

the graphics processing unit generating LOD using the geometry information for the one operation;

the graphics processing unit generating an adjustment value for adjusting the generated LOD using the non-geometry information; and

the graphics processing unit adjusting the generated LOD using the adjustment value for the one operation,

wherein the geometry information is depth values or curvature of output control points,

wherein the non-geometry information is a brightness value of one from among a patch, a primitive, and a frame, the adjusting of the LOD comprises;

decreasing the LOD when the brightness value is greater than a first brightness reference value;

decreasing the LOD when the brightness value is less than a second brightness reference value less than the first brightness reference value; and

increasing the LOD when the brightness value is between the first brightness reference value and the second brightness reference value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the geometry information and the non-geometry information is output from one source.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one source is one of either a vertex shader or a rasterizer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the geometry information is output from a first source and the non-geometry information is output from a second source.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first source is one of either a vertex shader or a rasterizer and the second source is one of either a frame buffer object or a frame buffer storing a previous frame.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the geometry information and the non-geometry information are related to one frame.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the geometry information and the non-geometry information are related to different frames.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the geometry information is related to a current frame and the non-geometry information is related to a previous frame.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the LOD is assigned for each object, primitive, patch, edge, vertex or control point.

10. A graphics processing unit, comprising:

a shader configured to perform one operation from among tessellation and texturing,

wherein the shader receives output attributes including geometry information and non-geometry information, generates a level-of-detail (LOD) using the geometry information, generates an adjustment value for adjusting the generated LOD using the non-geometry information, and adjusts the generated LOD using the adjustment value for the one operation, and

wherein the geometry information is depth values or curvature of output control points,

wherein the non-geometry information is a brightness value of one from among a patch, a primitive, and a frame, the adjusting of the LOD comprises;

decreasing the LOD when the brightness value is greater than a first brightness reference value;

decreasing the LOD when the brightness value is less than a second brightness reference value less than the first brightness reference value; and

increasing the LOD when the brightness value is between the first brightness reference value and the second brightness reference value.

11. The graphics processing unit of claim 10, wherein the shader is a unified shader.

12. The graphics processing unit of claim 10, further comprising a vertex shader and a rasterizer, wherein the geometry information and the non-geometry information are output from one of the vertex shader and the rasterizer.

13. The graphics processing unit of claim 10, further comprising:

a vertex shader;

a rasterizer; and

a buffer configured to store one of a current frame and a previous frame,

wherein the geometry information is output from one of the vertex shader and the rasterizer, the non-geometry information is output from the buffer, and the geometry information is related to the current frame.

14. A system on chip (SoC) comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

and a graphics processing unit including a shader configured to perform one operation from among tessellation and texturing in response to a command output from the CPU,

wherein the shader receives output attributes including geometry information and non-geometry information, generates a level-of-detail (LOD) using the geometry information, generates an adjustment value for adjusting the generated LOD using the non-geometry information, and adjusts the generated LOD using the adjustment value for the one operation, and

wherein the geometry information is depth values or curvature of output control points,

wherein the non-geometry information is a brightness value of one from among a patch, a primitive, and a frame, the adjusting of the LOD comprises;

decreasing the LOD when the brightness value is greater than a first brightness reference value;

decreasing the LOD when the brightness value is less than a second brightness reference value less than the first brightness reference value; and

increasing the LOD when the brightness value is between the first brightness reference value and the second brightness reference value.