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NvidiaGranted patentChips & hardwareInterest 6/10

Nvidia patents hardware to track features in sensor data

Nvidia describes a specialized processor unit that helps computers track specific points in images or sensor data. It uses dedicated hardware to move data between memory and the processor more efficiently, reducing the workload on the main computer chip.

Why it mattersThis could make self-driving cars or robots process visual information faster and with less power.

In the filing’s own words

In various examples, a VPU and associated components may be optimized to improve VPU performance and throughput. For example, the VPU may include a min/max collector, automatic store predication functionality, a SIMD data path organization that allows for inter-lane sharing, a transposed load/store with stride parameter functionality, a load with permute and zero insertion functionality, hardware, logic, and memory layout functionality to allow for two point and two by two point lookups, and per memory bank load caching capabilities. In addition, decoupled accelerators may be used to offload VPU processing tasks to increase throughput and performance, and a hardware sequencer may be included in a DMA system to reduce programming complexity of the VPU and the DMA system. The DMA and VPU may execute a VPU configuration mode that allows the VPU and DMA to operate without a processing controller for performing dynamic region based data movement operations.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method comprising: retrieving, using a direct memory access (DMA) system, first data stored in one or more memories by a processor, the first data representative of one or more first locations associated with a tracked feature determined using sensor data; determining, using the DMA system and based at least on the one or more first locations, one or more descriptors associated with the tracked feature; storing, using the DMA system, second data in the one or more memories and for the processor, the second data representative of the one or more descriptors associated with the tracked feature; and retrieving, using the DMA system, third data stored in the one or more memories by the processor, the third data representative of one or more second locations associated with the tracked feature as determined by the processor using at least the second data.

Facts

Company
Nvidia (NVIDIA Corporation)
Official title
Feature tracking
Patent number
US12737182B2
Application number
18402519
Filed
Jan 2, 2024
Granted
Sep 15, 2026
Inventors
5
Claims
20

Classified under

G06F 9/3004 Physics & computingG06F 9/30036 Physics & computingG06F 9/30038 Physics & computingG06F 13/28 Physics & computingG06F 15/8061 Physics & computing

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.