Michael A Wasserman

US Patent:

6654021, Nov 25, 2003

Filed:

May 18, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/861461

Inventors:

Michael A. Wasserman - Redwood City CA
Michael G. Lavelle - Saratoga CA
David C. Kehlet - Los Altos CA
Nathaniel David Naegle - Pleasanton CA
Steven Te-Chun Yu - Fremont CA
Glenn Gracon - Palo Alto CA

Assignee:

Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06F 1318

US Classification:

345535, 345537

Abstract:

A graphics system that may be shared between multiple display channels includes a frame buffer, two arbiters, a pixel buffer, and several display output queues. The first arbiter arbitrates between the display channels requests for display information from the frame buffer and forwards a selected request to the frame buffer. The frame buffer outputs display information in response to receiving the forwarded request, and pixels corresponding to this display information are stored in the pixel buffer. Each display channel has a corresponding display output queue that provides data to a display and generates a request for pixels from the pixel buffer. A pixel request arbiter receives the pixel requests generated by the display output queues, selects one of the pixel requests, and forwards the selected request to the pixel buffer. In response, the pixel buffer outputs pixels to the display output queue that generated the selected pixel request.

US Patent:

6670959, Dec 30, 2003

Filed:

May 18, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/861481

Inventors:

Michael A. Wasserman - Redwood City CA
Michael G. Lavelle - Saratoga CA
David C. Kehlet - Los Altos CA
Glenn Gracon - Palo Alto CA

Assignee:

Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06F 1318

US Classification:

345535, 345545

Abstract:

A graphics system that may be shared between multiple display channels includes a frame buffer, an arbiter, and two pixel output buffers. The arbiter arbitrates between the display channels requests for display information from the frame buffer and forwards a selected request to the frame buffer. The frame buffer is divided into a first and a second portion. The arbiter alternates display channel requests for data between the first and second portions of the frame buffer. The frame buffer outputs display information in response to receiving the forwarded request, and pixels corresponding to this display information are stored in the output buffers. The arbiter selects which request to forward to the frame buffer based on a relative state of neediness of each of the requesting display channels.

US Patent:

6731300, May 4, 2004

Filed:

May 18, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/861177

Inventors:

Nandini Ramani - Saratoga CA
Michael A. Wasserman - Redwood City CA
Michael G. Lavelle - Saratoga CA
Mark E. Pascual - San Jose CA
Kevin Tang - Union City CA
Daniel M. Chao - San Francisco CA

Assignee:

Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06T 1500

US Classification:

345611, 345612, 345613, 345614, 345615, 345606

Abstract:

A graphics system may be configured to render anti-aliased dots in terms of samples and to generate pixels by filtering the samples. The pixels are supplied to one or more display devices. The means used to generate the samples may perform the computation of radial distance at positions on a grid in a rendering coordinate space, and interpolate estimates for the radial distances of samples around the dot as needed based on the radii at the grid positions.

US Patent:

6784881, Aug 31, 2004

Filed:

Jan 4, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/037410

Inventors:

Michael A. Wasserman - Redwood City CA
Michael G. Lavelle - Saratoga CA
Justin Michael Mahan - Newark CA
David Naegle - Pleasanton CA
Glenn J. Gracon - Palo Alto CA

Assignee:

Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G09G 500

US Classification:

345213, 348513

Abstract:

A graphics system that is configured to synchronize a slave display channel to a master display channel may include a master display timing generator configured to provide a frame event indication and a slave display timing generator. The slave display timing generator may be configured to receive the frame event indication and, in response to receiving the frame event indication during its active display period, the slave display timing generator may be configured to wait until its current active display period ends and then jump to its synchronization point. Alternatively, the slave display timing generator may be configured to jump to its synchronization point immediately or after the end of the current horizontal line, and any remaining display information in an interrupted frame may be displayed during the next active display period.

US Patent:

6795080, Sep 21, 2004

Filed:

Jan 30, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/060954

Inventors:

Michael G. Lavelle - Saratoga CA
David C. Kehlet - Los Altos CA
Michael A. Wasserman - Redwood City CA
Nandini Ramani - Saratoga CA
Ranjit S. Oberoi - Saratoga CA

Assignee:

Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06T 1140

US Classification:

345552, 345582, 345614, 345503

Abstract:

A graphics system configured to apply multiple layers of texture information to batches of primitives. The graphics system collects primitives into a batch that share a common set of texture layers to be applied. The batch is limited so that the total estimate size of the batch is less than or equal to a storage capacity of a texture accumulation buffer. The graphics system stores samples (or fragments) corresponding to the batch primitives in the texture accumulation buffer between the application of successive texture layers.

US Patent:

6803916, Oct 12, 2004

Filed:

May 18, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/861475

Inventors:

Nandini Ramani - Saratoga CA
David C. Kehlet - Los Altos CA
Ewa M. Kubalska - San Jose CA
Michael G. Lavelle - Saratoga CA
Michael A. Wasserman - Redwood City CA
Kevin Tang - Union City CA
Yan Yan Tang - Mountain View CA

Assignee:

Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06T 120

US Classification:

345506, 345558

Abstract:

A system and method for rasterizing and rendering graphics data is disclosed. Vertices may be grouped to form primitives such as triangles, which are rasterized using two-dimensional arrays of samples bins. Individual samples may be selected from the bins according to different criteria such as memory bank allocation to improve utilization of the systems rendering pipeline. Since the arrays may have more bins than the number of evaluation units in the rendering pipeline, the samples from the bins may be stored to FIFO memories to allow invalid or empty samples (those outside the primitive being rendered) to be removed. The samples may then be filtered to form pixels that are displayable to form an image on a display device.

US Patent:

6819327, Nov 16, 2004

Filed:

May 18, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/861469

Inventors:

Michael A. Wasserman - Redwood City CA
Steven Te-Chun Yu - Fremont CA
Justin M. Mahan - Newark CA
Michael W. Schimpf - Pacific Grove CA
Glenn Gracon - Palo Alto CA

Assignee:

Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G09G 500

US Classification:

345581, 714732, 714 37, 714 45

Abstract:

A signature capture and analysis system suitable for use in a high performance computer graphics system is described. The system employs a distributed network of signature analysis registers (SARs) which may be configured to capture and accumulate information from one or more channels of data over pre-defined periods of time. The SARs may be so distributed to allow for the isolation of faults to a sub-system level. The signature values developed in these SARs are, in some cases pre-seeded, and may include contributions from both data and control signals. Checking of the signature values against known good or expected outcomes is provided for. In some cases the SARs may be implemented as linear hybrid cellular automatons.

US Patent:

6833834, Dec 21, 2004

Filed:

Dec 12, 2001

Appl. No.:

10/021096

Inventors:

Michael A. Wasserman - Redwood City CA
Michael G. Lavelle - Saratoga CA
David C. Kehlet - Los Altos CA
Yan Yan Tang - Mountain View CA
Ewa M. Kubalska - San Jose CA

Assignee:

Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06F 1300

US Classification:

345537, 345545, 345574, 345570

Abstract:

A graphics system includes a frame buffer, a write address generator, and a pixel buffer. A burst of pixels received from the frame buffer may not be in display order. In one embodiment, a write address generator calculates a write address for each pixel in the burst of pixels output from the frame buffer. The write address corresponds to a relative display order within the burst for each respective pixel. Each pixel in the burst is stored to its write address in the pixel buffer. This way, the pixels in the burst are stored in display order within the pixel buffer.