Macro Block Overlay Buffer Processing for Graphics Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current 2D graphics processing systems consume significant cycles in displaying video with overlaid primitives, as they process entire display areas, including unnecessary macro blocks, leading to inefficient use of processing cycles.
Innovation Solution
The system optimizes processing by only marking and processing macro blocks where the primitive is actually drawn, reducing display and clearing cycles by up to 80%, by dividing the overlay buffer into macro blocks and managing attributes to identify and process only relevant blocks during the drawing and display phases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire display area of the overlay buffer is processed, then all potential primitive locations are covered, but processing cycles are wasted on macro blocks where no primitive is drawn
Solution Approach 1:
The overlay buffer is divided into multiple macro blocks, and the system processes only those macro blocks where a primitive is actually drawn. This segmentation allows the system to avoid processing entire display areas, reducing wasted cycles on empty macro blocks while maintaining complete primitive rendering coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different processing treatment to different macro blocks based on whether they contain primitives. Macro blocks with primitives receive full processing, while those without primitives are skipped. This local differentiation optimizes processing efficiency without compromising the reliability of primitive rendering in areas that require it.
2Reliability
If all macro blocks are marked for processing, then no primitive is missed, but the number of display and clearing cycles increases unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and processes only the macro blocks that contain primitives, separating them from the rest of the overlay buffer. By taking out only the necessary macro blocks for processing, the system maintains accurate primitive display while eliminating time-wasting operations on empty macro blocks.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of processing all macro blocks (excessive action), the system processes only the subset of macro blocks that contain primitives (partial action). This partial processing approach is sufficient to achieve complete primitive display accuracy while significantly reducing the time consumed in display cycles.
3Reliability
If data from off-chip memory is transferred for every macro block, then complete video data is available, but data transfer delays increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the data transfer operation to occur only for macro blocks containing primitives. By dividing the overlay buffer into macro blocks and identifying which ones need processing, the system transfers data only for those specific blocks, maintaining video data completeness for rendered areas while eliminating unnecessary data transfer delays for empty areas.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a processing unit that divides an overlay buffer into a plurality of macro blocks, draws a graphic primitive object including a plurality of pixels, identifies one of the plurality of macro blocks upon a determination that the plurality of pixels has crossed a boundary of the one of the plurality of macro blocks, and image processes the one of the plurality of macro blocks.