Image Processing Apparatus Sequential Ray Storage

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image processing apparatuses using ray tracing techniques require large memory and increased power consumption due to storing and processing pairs of non-shadow rays and their derived shadow rays, leading to hardware size and computation inefficiencies.

Innovation Solution

An image processing method and apparatus that sequentially stores non-shadow rays and their derived shadow rays in memory, using identification information to allocate addresses and perform shading operations based on intersecting point data, thereby optimizing memory usage and reducing power consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If non-shadow rays and shadow rays are stored in memory while making pairs at each address, then the shading operation can be performed based on stored information, but the memory size required increases and hardware size increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveshading operation accuracyVSAvoidmemory size

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the storage structure by separating shadow rays from non-shadow rays. Instead of storing paired data at each address, non-shadow rays are stored in a first memory region and shadow rays are stored in a second memory region. This segmentation reduces the memory footprint required for storing ray data while maintaining the ability to perform accurate shading operations by retrieving the necessary ray information from the respective regions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If non-shadow rays and shadow rays are stored in each address of memory while making a pair, then the shading operation can be performed, but the computation amount of shading increases and power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveshading operation accuracyVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the storage structure by separating shadow rays from non-shadow rays. Instead of storing paired data at each address, non-shadow rays are stored in a first memory region and shadow rays are stored in a second memory region. This segmentation reduces the memory footprint required for storing ray data while maintaining the ability to perform accurate shading operations by retrieving the necessary ray information from the respective regions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3232405B1Image processing apparatus and method for processing images

Publication Date: 2020.05.06 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

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AI summary

An image processing apparatus and an image processing method are provided. The image processing method in the image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes: sequentially storing, in a memory, a non-shadow ray and at least one shadow ray derived from the non-shadow ray; and performing a shading operation using the sequentially stored non-shadow ray and at least one shadow ray.