Apple patents memory rules for faster ray tracing graphics
Apple has been granted a patent for a method of managing computer memory during ray tracing, a technique used to create realistic lighting in video games and movies. The system divides memory into 'protected' and 'public' sections, ensuring that only specific background tasks can use the protected areas to prevent conflicts.
In the filing’s own words
Techniques are disclosed relating to memory page allocation for graphics processor. In some embodiments, a shader program includes a primary thread associated with ray tracing (that includes an instruction that indicates for the apparatus to launch one or more secondary threads). Memory resource allocator circuitry may receive a request to allocate a memory page in a page pool to a thread of the shader program, where the page pool includes a set of protected pages and a set of public pages. The allocator may allocate a page of the page pool to the requesting thread according to an allocation restriction, such that protected pages are allocable only to secondary threads that are launched based on a primary thread and public pages are allocable to both primary and secondary threads.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An apparatus, comprising: processor circuitry configured to execute a shader program that includes a primary thread associated with ray tracing, wherein the primary thread includes an instruction that indicates for the apparatus to launch one or more secondary threads in at least one execution scenario; and memory resource allocator circuitry configured to: receive a request to allocate a memory page in a page pool to a requesting thread of the shader program, wherein the page pool includes a set of protected pages and a set of public pages; and allocate a page of the page pool to the requesting thread according to an allocation restriction, wherein the allocation restriction specifies that: protected pages are allocable only to secondary threads that are launched based on a primary thread; and public pages are allocable to both primary and secondary threads.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Page management and forward progress for ray tracing
- Patent number
- US12743839B2
- Application number
- 18509902
- Filed
- Nov 15, 2023
- Granted
- Sep 22, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06T 15/06 Physics & computingG06T 15/005 Physics & computingMore from Apple in Chips & hardware
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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.