Reconfigurable 3D Graphics Processor Pipeline Mode Switching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional 3D graphics processing units (GPUs) face inefficiencies in handling complex geometric commands, leading to increased memory storage and bandwidth requirements, which can negate the performance gains of tiling-based GPUs, especially when extensive pixel processing is involved.

Innovation Solution

A reconfigurable 3D graphics processing pipeline that dynamically switches between conventional and tiling-based modes based on performance metrics such as power consumption, processing time, and memory bandwidth, optimizing external memory bandwidth and vertex and pixel processing costs by selecting the most optimal mode for each frame.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If tiling-based GPU mode is used to reduce memory bandwidth requirements, then external memory bandwidth is reduced, but vertex and pixel processing costs increase leading to decreased rendering performance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvememory bandwidth requirementsVSAvoidrendering performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The GPU pipeline is designed to dynamically switch between conventional and tiling-based modes based on real-time performance metrics. The configuration manager monitors processing time, power consumption, and memory bandwidth usage, then adaptively reconfigures the pipeline architecture to optimize for current workload characteristics, resolving the contradiction between memory bandwidth reduction and rendering performance maintenance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Productivity

If conventional GPU mode is used to maintain processing speed, then rendering performance is maintained, but external memory bandwidth requirements increase reducing efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverendering performanceVSAvoidmemory bandwidth requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes operational parameters by switching between two distinct pipeline configurations: conventional mode for high-performance rendering when memory bandwidth is abundant, and tiling-based mode for memory-efficient rendering when bandwidth is constrained. This parameter switching allows the system to adapt to different operational contexts and resolve the contradiction between performance and memory efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Use of energy by moving object

If tiling-based mode is used to optimize memory efficiency, then power consumption is reduced, but processing time increases for complex geometric commands

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The configuration manager implements feedback control by continuously measuring processing time, power consumption, and memory bandwidth usage during rendering operations. Based on this feedback, the system determines when to switch between conventional and tiling-based modes, optimizing the balance between power consumption and processing time for each specific workload

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS8988441B2Reconfigurable 3D graphics processor

Publication Date: 2015.03.24 QUALCOMM INC

AI summary

Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a reconfigurable 3D graphics processor includes a pipeline configuration manager, a rasterizer, and a memory coupled to the triangle rasterizer. The pipeline configuration manager is capable of configuring the graphics processor to operate in a direct rasterizing mode or a tiling mode to process a sequence of drawing commands received from a processing unit.