Tile-Based Rendering Binning with Stored Primitive Depth Values

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing tile-based graphics processing systems face inefficiencies in data processing and latency due to the need to repeatedly calculate primitive depths during rendering stages, particularly in operations requiring only depth information.

Innovation Solution

Storing depth values of primitives in binning data structures during the initial processing pass, allowing these depths to be directly accessed in subsequent stages, reducing the need for repeated calculations and data fetching.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If depth values are calculated repeatedly during rendering stages, then rendering can be performed, but bandwidth requirements and latency increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverendering efficiencyVSAvoidlatency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by calculating and storing depth values during the binning data structure generation phase (initial processing pass) rather than calculating them repeatedly during subsequent rendering stages. This preliminary computation of depth values for all primitives enables faster rendering operations later, as the depth data is already prepared and stored in the binning data structures, thereby reducing latency and improving rendering efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If depth values are calculated repeatedly during rendering stages, then rendering can be performed, but bandwidth requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverendering efficiencyVSAvoidbandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by calculating and storing depth values during the binning data structure generation phase (initial processing pass) rather than calculating them repeatedly during subsequent rendering stages. This preliminary computation of depth values for all primitives enables faster rendering operations later, as the depth data is already prepared and stored in the binning data structures, thereby reducing latency and improving rendering efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If all primitive data is stored in binning data structures, then depth values are readily available, but data processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedepth value accessVSAvoiddata processing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the extraction principle by selectively storing only the depth values of primitives in the binning data structures during the initial processing pass, rather than storing all primitive data. This selective extraction of depth information reduces the amount of data that needs to be processed and stored, thereby reducing data processing complexity while still making depth values readily available when needed during rendering operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS20260065405A1Graphics processing

Publication Date: 2026.03.05 ARM LTD

AI summary

When generating binning data structures for identifying primitives to be processed for respective rendering tiles for a render output being generated using tile-based rendering, for one or more primitives to be included in a binning data structure, a depth of the primitive at one or more sampling positions that are covered by the primitive is determined and included in the binning data structure with respect to the primitive.