Graphic system comprising a pipelined graphic engine, pipelining method and computer program product

Abstract

A graphic system includes a pipelined graphic engine for generating image frames for display. The pipelined graphic engine includes a geometric processing stage for performing motion extraction, and a rendering stage for generating full image frames at a first frame rate for display at a second frame rate. The second frame rate is higher than the first frame rate. A motion encoder stage receives motion information from the geometric processing stage, and produces an interpolated frame signal representative of interpolated frames. A motion compensation stage receives the interpolated frame signal from the motion encoder stage, and the full image frames from the rendering stage for generating the interpolated frames. A preferred application is in graphic systems that operate in association with smart displays through a wireless connection, such as in mobile phones.

1 - 20 . (Cancelled).  
     
     
         21 . A graphic system comprising: 
 a pipelined graphic engine for generating image frames for display, said pipelined graphic engine comprising 
 at least one geometric processing stage for performing motion extraction, and  
 a rendering stage for generating full image frames at a first frame rate for display at a second frame rate, the second frame rate being higher than the first frame rate,  
   a motion encoder stage for receiving motion information from said at least one geometric processing stage, and for producing an interpolated frame signal representative of interpolated frames; and    a motion compensation stage for receiving the interpolated frame signal from said motion encoder stage, and the full image frames from said rendering stage for generating the interpolated frames.    
     
     
         22 . A graphic system of  claim 21 , further comprising a motion decoder stage upstream from said motion compensation stage.  
     
     
         23 . A graphic system of  claim 22 , wherein further comprising: 
 a video decoder stage for receiving the full image frames for display at the second frame rate; and    a frame buffer for receiving the full image frames from said video decoder stage, and for providing the full image frames to said motion compensation stage.    
     
     
         24 . A graphic system of  claim 21 , wherein said at least one geometric processing stage comprises a geometry stage, and a triangle setup stage connected to an output of said geometry stage.  
     
     
         25 . A graphic system of  claim 21 , further comprising a video encoder stage downstream from said rendering stage for generating a compressed bitstream.  
     
     
         26 . A graphic system of  claim 25 , further comprising a first transmitter downstream from said video encoder stage; and a second transmitter downstream from said motion encoder stage.  
     
     
         27 . A graphic system of  claim 23 , further comprising a multiplexer downstream from said frame buffer and from said motion compensation stage for selecting a display order for the full image frames and the interpolated frames.  
     
     
         28 . A graphic system of  claim 21 , wherein said motion compensation stage is part of a display unit for displaying the full image frames at the second frame rate; and wherein said rendering stage and said motion encoder stage are integrated as a self-contained device with the display unit.  
     
     
         29 . A graphic system comprising: 
 a pipelined graphic engine for generating image frames for display, said pipelined graphic engine comprising 
 at least one geometric processing stage for performing motion extraction, and  
 a rendering stage for generating full image frames at a first frame rate for display at a second frame rate, the second frame rate being higher than the first frame rate,  
   a motion encoder stage for receiving motion information from said at least one geometric processing stage, and for producing an interpolated frame signal representative of interpolated frames;    a first transmitter downstream from said rendering stage;    a second transmitter downstream from said motion encoder stage; and    a motion compensation stage downstream from said first and second transmitters for receiving the interpolated frame signal from said motion encoder stage, and the full image frames from said rendering stage for generating the interpolated frames.    
     
     
         30 . A graphic system of  claim 29 , further comprising a motion decoder stage between said first transmitter and said motion compensation stage.  
     
     
         31 . A graphic system of  claim 30 , wherein further comprising: 
 a video decoder stage downstream from said second transmitter for receiving the full image frames for display at the second frame rate; and    a frame buffer downstream from said video decoder stage for receiving the full image frames from said video decoder stage, and for providing the full image frames to said motion compensation stage.    
     
     
         32 . A graphic system of  claim 29 , further comprising a video encoder stage between said rendering stage and said second transmitter for generating a compressed bitstream.  
     
     
         33 . A graphic system of  claim 31 , further comprising a multiplexer downstream from said frame buffer and from said motion compensation stage for selecting a display order for the full image frames and the interpolated frames.  
     
     
         34 . A method for pipelining graphical operations in a graphic system comprising: 
 receiving processing instructions from a graphic application for a pipeline graphic engine comprising at least one geometric phase for performing motion extraction;    operating the pipeline graphic engine for generating full image frames at a first frame rate for display at a second frame rate, the second frame rate being higher than the first frame rate;    deriving from the at least one geometric phase motion information to be used as prediction information, and producing an interpolated frame signal representative of interpolated frames; and    generating the interpolated frames for display based upon the interpolated frame signal and the full image frames.    
     
     
         35 . A method of  claim 34 , wherein the motion information being used as the prediction information is derived from motion vectors related to at least one of a backward frame and a forward frame included in the motion information.  
     
     
         36 . A method of  claim 35 , wherein the deriving comprises associating motion vectors in at least one of a backward frame and a forward frame to potentially visible image primitives in at least one interpolated frame.  
     
     
         37 . A method of  claim 36 , further comprising quantizing the motion vectors, and storing the motion vectors in at least one of a forward motion buffer and a backward motion buffer.  
     
     
         38 . A method of  claim 37 , further comprising: 
 producing depth buffer information associated with at least one currently computed frame; and    allotting at least a portion of pixels in the at least one currently computed frame to a set of background pixels based on the depth buffer information.    
     
     
         39 . A method of  claim 38 , further comprising allotting a remaining portion of the pixels in the at least one currently computed frame to a set of pixels in at least one image primitive.  
     
     
         40 . A method of  claim 38 , wherein generating the interpolated frames is also based upon the motion information, the generating taking into account the depth buffer information and at least one of the forward and backward motion buffers by: 
 setting a pixel color to a background value if a pixel belongs to the background, otherwise controlling orientation of two motion vectors to carry out a quantization to a pixel position if needed, then:    if both vectors are within the forward frame and backward frame, then the pixel color is computed using the information addressed by the motion vectors; and    if only one vector falls in a valid area of a fully rendered forward frame or backward frame, then the pixel color is computed by using the valid information of the fully rendered frame.    
     
     
         41 . A method of  claim 40 , wherein if both the motion vectors fall outside the frames of reference, then no operation is performed.  
     
     
         42 . A method of  claim 37 , further comprising producing contents of at least one of the forward and backward motion buffers using a triangle setup phase.  
     
     
         43 . A method of  claim 34 , further comprising performing a scan-conversion process based on a linear interpolation of the motion vectors.  
     
     
         44 . A method of  claim 43 , wherein the scan-conversion process comprises a linear interpolation of motion vectors with a perspective correction.  
     
     
         45 . A computer-readable medium comprising: 
 a first data field containing data for receiving processing instructions from a graphic application for a pipeline graphic engine comprising at least one geometric phase for performing motion extraction;    a second data field containing data for operating the pipeline graphic engine for generating full image frames at a first frame rate for display at a second frame rate, the second frame rate being higher than the first frame rate;    a third data field containing data for deriving from the at least one geometric phase motion information to be used as prediction information, and producing an interpolated frame signal representative of interpolated frames; and    a fourth data field containing data for generating the interpolated frames for display based upon the interpolated frame signal and the full image frames.    
     
     
         46 . A computer-readable medium of  claim 45 , wherein the motion information being used as the prediction information is derived from motion vectors related to at least one of a backward frame and a forward frame included in the motion information.  
     
     
         47 . A computer-readable medium of  claim 46 , wherein the deriving comprises associating motion vectors in at least one of a backward frame and a forward frame to potentially visible image primitives in at least one interpolated frame.  
     
     
         48 . A computer-readable medium of  claim 47 , further comprising a fifth data field containing data for quantizing the motion vectors, and for storing the motion vectors in at least one of a forward motion buffer and a backward motion buffer.  
     
     
         49 . A computer-readable medium of  claim 48 , further comprising: 
 a sixth data field containing data for producing depth buffer information associated with at least one currently computed frame; and    a seventh data field containing data for allotting at least a portion of pixels in the at least one currently computed frame to a set of background pixels based on the depth buffer information.    
     
     
         50 . A computer-readable medium of  claim 49 , further comprising an eighth data field containing data for allotting a remaining portion of the pixels in the at least one currently computed frame to a set of pixels in at least one image primitive.  
     
     
         51 . A computer-readable medium of  claim 49 , wherein generating the interpolated frames is also based upon the motion information, the generating taking into account the depth buffer information and at least one of the forward and backward motion buffers by: 
 setting a pixel color to a background value if a pixel belongs to the background, otherwise controlling orientation of two motion vectors to carry out a quantization to a pixel position if needed, then:    if both vectors are within the forward frame and backward frame, then the pixel color is computed using the information addressed by the motion vectors; and    if only one vector falls in a valid area of a fully rendered forward frame or backward frame, then the pixel color is computed by using the valid information of the fully rendered frame.    
     
     
         52 . A computer-readable medium of  claim 51 , wherein if both the motion vectors fall outside the frames of reference, then no operation is performed.  
     
     
         53 . A computer-readable medium of  claim 48 , further comprising a ninth data field containing data for producing contents of at least one of the forward and backward motion buffers using a triangle setup phase.  
     
     
         54 . A computer-readable medium of  claim 45 , further comprising a tenth data field containing data for performing a scan-conversion process based on a linear interpolation of the motion vectors.  
     
     
         55 . A computer-readable medium of  claim 54 , wherein the scan-conversion process comprises a linear interpolation of motion vectors with a perspective correction.