/Patent Tracker
NvidiaGranted patentChips & hardwareInterest 4/10

Nvidia patents faster way to turn 3D shapes into screen pixels

Nvidia describes a method for graphics processors to convert 3D shapes into the flat pixels you see on a screen. It uses a mathematical shortcut called a prefix sum to quickly check if a pixel is inside a shape, rather than checking each point individually.

Why it mattersThis improves how graphics chips handle basic drawing tasks, which is a standard part of building video cards for gaming and professional work.

In the filing’s own words

Apparatuses, systems, and techniques are to convert polygon data into pixels. In at least one embodiment, a processor causes polygon input data to be converted into pixels by using one or more prefix sums to generate one or more winding numbers to indicate whether a pixel is within a polygon.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. One or more processors, comprising: circuitry to: identify one or more pixels within one or more polygons based, at least in part, on one or more prefix sums that operate on one or more values assigned in parallel to one or more corners of one or more pixels adjacent to the one or more pixels; and generate the one or more pixels on a display device based, at least in part, on the identification.

Facts

Company
Nvidia (NVIDIA Corporation)
Official title
Pixel generation technique
Patent number
US12743838B2
Application number
18415464
Filed
Jan 17, 2024
Granted
Sep 22, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
20

Classified under

G06T 15/005 Physics & computingG06T 7/11 Physics & computingG06T 7/12 Physics & computingG06T 7/74 Physics & computingG06T 2207/20164 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

More from Nvidia in Chips & hardware

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.