The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 11, 2003
Filed:
May. 20, 1999
James M. Knittel, Groton, MA (US);
Stephen R. Burgess, Medfield, MA (US);
Jan C. Hardenbergh, Sudbury, MA (US);
Christopher J. Kappler, Charlestown, MA (US);
Hugh C. Lauer, Concord, MA (US);
William R. Peet, Billerica, MA (US);
Takahide Ohkami, Newton, MA (US);
Hanspeter Pfister, Somerville, MA (US);
TeraRecon, Inc., San Mateo, CA (US);
Abstract
A plurality of identical rendering pipelines are connected in parallel to read an array of voxels and to write an array of pixels. Each pipeline processes one voxel in one processing cycle of the pipelines. Each pipeline includes a plurality of serially connected different stages. The stages can include interpolation, classification, gradient estimation, illumination, and compositing stages. Interfaces connect identical stages in adjacent pipelines as one-way rings to communicate information associated with spatially adjacent voxels, and delay buffers connected parallel to particular stages communicate information associated with temporally adjacent voxels.