Patent ID: 8427487

Claim:
A method for interface compression in a raster stage of a graphics processor, comprising: receiving a graphics primitive for rasterization in a raster stage of a graphics processor; rasterizing the graphics primitive at a first level in a coarse raster component to generate a plurality of tiles related to the graphics primitive; determining whether a window ID operation is required for the plurality of tiles; if a window ID operation is required, outputting a respective plurality of uncompressed coverage masks for the plurality of tiles from the coarse raster component to a fine raster component on a one coverage mask per clock cycle basis, wherein a transfer interface is coupled between the coarse raster component and the fine raster component and is for transferring coverage masks from the coarse raster component to the fine raster component, the transfer interface having a size configured to accept one compressed coverage mask per clock cycle; if a window ID operation is not required, outputting a compressed coverage mask for the plurality of tiles in a single clock cycle; and rasterizing the plurality of tiles at a second-level in the fine raster component to generate a plurality of pixels related to the graphics primitive.