Patent ID: 7800611
Filing Date: 2010-09-21
Classification: G06F,G06T,G09G

Abstract:
1. A graphics hub subsystem for installation in a PC-based computing system including (i) system memory for storing software graphics applications, software drivers and graphics libraries, (ii) an operating system (OS), stored in said system memory, (iii) one or more graphics applications, stored in said system memory, for generating a stream of geometrical data and graphics commands supporting the representation of one or more 3D objects in a scene having 3D geometrical characteristics and the viewing of images of said one or more 3D objects in said scene during an interactive process carried out between said PC-based computing system and a user of said PC-based computing system, (iv) one or more graphic libraries, stored in said system memory, for storing data used to implement said stream of geometrical data and graphics commands, (v) a central processing unit (CPU) for executing said OS, said one or more graphics applications, said drivers and said graphics libraries, (vi) an CPU interface module for interfacing with said CPU, (vii) a PC bus, (viii) a plurality of graphic processing units (GPUs) arranged in a parallel architecture and operating according to a parallelization mode of operation so that said GPUs support multiple graphics pipelines and process data in a parallel manner, (viii) one or more GPU drivers, stored in said system memory, for allowing said GPUs to interact with said graphic libraries, and (ix) a display surface for displaying said images by graphically displaying frames of pixel data produced by said GPUs, wherein said graphics hub subsystem comprises: a hardware hub having a hub router for interfacing with said CPU interface module and said GPUs by way of said PC bus, distributing the stream of geometrical data and graphic commands among said GPUs, and transferring pixel data output from one or more of said GPUs during the composition of frames of pixel data corresponding to final images for display on said display surface; and wherein said CPU interface module and said PC bus provides an interface between said one or more software hub drivers and said hardware hub; (i) said hardware hub uses said hub router and said PC bus to distribute said stream of geometrical data and graphic commands, or a portion thereof, to said GPUs, (ii) one or more of said GPUs process said stream of geometrical data and graphic commands, or a portion thereof, during the generation of each said frame, while operating in said parallelization mode, so as to generate pixel data corresponding to at least a portion of said image, and (iii) said hardware hub uses said hub router and said PC bus to transfer said pixel data output from one or more of said GPUs for compositing pixel data, representative of the image of said 3D objects, for display on said display surface.