Patent US4646877A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent EP0465250A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0465250A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Graphics engine for colour 2D graphics
Assignee: Canon Information Systems Research Australia Pty Ltd
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Filing: 1991-07-04
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-07-04
Abstract
Abstract A graphics engine (10) is disclosed which can be used in a colour desktop publishing system (fig. 1). The graphics engine (10) accepts 32-bit RGBM data (11) and performs pixel level calculations under computer (1) control to output processed 32-bit RGBM data (19). The engine (10) comprises a render processor interface (100), a run controller (200) including a ramp generator (250), and a control unit (300). Interpolators (400) are provided for each colour (RGB) and cascaded with corresponding compositors (500). A transparency interpolator (600) and matte combiner (700) alter the matte plane of the video image. The engine (10) can output data suitable for rendering by a colour laser printer (5,7) for a full size A3 page at 400 dots per inch. <IMAGE>
Inventors
- 👤 Kim Silverbrook
- 👤 James Robert Metcalf
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:07
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T11/00; G06T11/10; G06T1/00; G06T1/20; G06T11/60
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
180 words
A graphics engine to manipulate colour image data on a pixel-by-pixel basis, said engine comprising a parallel data path for each one of three primary colours of said image data, each said path comprising a cascade connected interpolator and compositor and said data paths being connected in parallel with a cascade connected transparency interpolator and matte combiner wherein each of said colour interpolators receive colour variation commands, each of said compositors receive colour input data for each said pixel in turn and said compositors transform said colour input data in accordance with a pre-determined function the output of which is dependent upon both the input colour data and the interpolator variation command, and wherein said transparency interpolator receives transparency variation commands, and said matte combiner receives matte plane input data for each said pixel and said combiner produces a colour blend value and an output matte value for each said pixel by transforming said input matte data in accordance with said transparency variation commands, the output of said graphics engine being colour image data simultaneously manipulated ascolour, transparency and matte.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
24 words
A graphics engine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said colour variation commands are selected from the group consisting of blends and colour correction.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
A graphics engine as claimed in claim 1 or 2 , wherein said colour variation commands include a start value and an end value between which said input data is interpolated for a specific duration determined by the colour variation commands.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
A graphics engine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said transparency variation commands are selected from the group consisting of transparency blends and texturing.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
A graphics engine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the transparency variation commands include a start value and an end value between which said input data is interpolated for a specific duration determined by the transparency variation commands.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
77 words
The graphics engine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein at least part of the image represented by said data is provided with a textured surface appearance by said matte combiner and coloured with a predetermined colour by said compositors to form said image part which is simultaneously textured and coloured, the matte plane of said image part being changed in accordance with the colour data or texture data of said image part.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
A colour image data manipulation system including a graphics engine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
104 words
A ramp generator comprising: means for storing a number (N) as a plurality of bits of information; an accumulator for generating a ramp-output between.a predetermined minimum and a predetermined:maximum; and means for testing the most significant of said bits to establish either a step mode or a jump mode of operation, whereby in said step mode, said output increases at a rate less than 1:1 and in said jump mode, said output increases at a rate equal to or in excess of 1:1, the value of said number determining the real time taken for said output to traverse between said minimum and said maximum.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
A ramp generator as claimed in claim 8 wherein said predetermined minimum is 0% of the interpolation range and said predetermined maximum is 100% of the interpolation range.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
A ramp generator as claimed in claim 8 or 9 wherein said number represents the run length of a graphics instruction.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
51 words
A ramp generator as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10 wherein said number includes at least 8 bits and said means for testing establishes said step mode if said number is greater than 255 or said jump mode if said number is less than or equal to 255.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
149 words
A ramp generator as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 11 wherein said accumulator comprises a first module for calculating 255/(N-1), a second module for calculating (511-N) and a third module for calculating (512-2N), there being a first multiplexer connected to a zero vaue and an output of said second module, a second multiplexer connected to a constant (510) and the output of said third module and a third multiplexer having inputs connected to the output of said first module and the output of said second multiplexer, and adder having one input supplied by the output of said third multiplexer and outputting to a fourth multiplexer having its other input connected to the output of said first multiplexer, and an accumulating flip flop connected to the output of said fourth multiplexer whose output supplied an output of said ramp generator and a second input to said adder.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
86 words
A ramp generator as claimed in claim 12, and comprising a counter connected to the output of said accumulating flip-flop and having its count value incremented thereby, and a fifth multiplexer having one input connected to the count value output of said counter and the other input connected to said output of said fourth multiplexer, the output of said fifth multiplexer being switchable between said count value to provide a step mode ramp output and said fourth multiplexer output to provide an alternate, jump mode output.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
A graphics engine as claimed in claim 3 or claim 5 including the ramp generator as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 13 and wherein said specific duration determines the ramp output of the ramp generator.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
A desktop publishing system comprising a computer (1), a colour output device (3,7) and a rendering processor (10) arranged to perform rendering operations (e.g. colour fills, mattes, or mixing two images) to generate image data supplied to said output device.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
42 words
A system according to claim 15 which includes a workscreen memory (30) coupled to an image display apparatus (3) and a page memory (4) coupled to an image printer (7), said rendering processor (10) being arranged to access said memories (30, 4).
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
49 words
Apparatus for processing image data to provide a colour image output, which comprises means for operating upon red, green, blue, and matte or transparency information, wherein separate means are provided for each of the colour information and the matte information is processed by one of said colour processing means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
44 words
A graphics engine including a grading circuit arranged to interpolate across a run of pixels from a first value to a second value, said grading circuit including a digital counting circuit arranged to produce a ramp of successive values for use on successive pixels.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
51 words
Image processing apparatus comprising a rendering processor (10) for performing colour and matte operations on image data and, coupled thereto, a scaling processor (9) arranged to accept image data and to produce output image data of a different resolution corresponding thereto so as to expand or shrink portions of the image.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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