US5068808A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Imager and process
Assignee: REALITY IMAGING Corp A CORP OF OH
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Filing: 1988-11-22
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Granted: 1991-11-26
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Expires: 2008-11-22
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus and process for the flexible and rapid manipulation of multidimensional data is disclosed. Coordinates ae transformed by the use of a plurality of transform memories, each being addressable by a coordinate of an n-tuple. Each member provides an intermediate value that when added to others provides a transformed coordinate. This eliminates the need for high-speed multipliers. The transform memories are additionally addressable by flags and tags associated with the location, attribute or object of interest. Different transformations take place depending on the values of the flags and tags. This allows flexible manipulation of the data. Z-buffering is done at high speed in parallel with the results being combined in efficient combiner circuits. In addition, this parallel operation permits the transformations themselves to be done in parallel. By adding a selectable adder to the input of the z-buffers, normal z-buffer operation may be selected or a radiographic mode utilizing the entire width of the z-buffer to hold an accumulated intensity may be selected.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert H. Wake
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 09:19
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T15/00; G06T15/10; G06T15/40; G06T15/405
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
A coordinate transform engine for transforming an image made up of a set of points, each point represented by at least an initial coordinate n-tuple, said transform engine comprising: a plurality of parallel transform memories addressable by a respective coordinate of the n-tuple and a transform flag of at least one bit, said memories each providing as an output an intermediate value in response to said coordinate and said transform flag, said transform flag corresponding to different portions of said image and selecting one of a plurality of transformations for said portions; and at least one adder receiving the output intermediate values from a subset of said memories, the sum from said adder being a single coordinate of a transformed coordinate n-tuple, whereby said portions can be separately manipulated.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
129 words
A coordinate transform engine for transforming an image made up of a set of points, each point represented by at least an initial coordinate n-tuple, said transform engine comprising: a plurality of parallel transform memories addressable by a respective coordinate of the n-tuple and a transform flag of at least one bit, said memories each providing as an output an intermediate value in response to said coordinate and said transform flag, said transform flag corresponding to different portions of said image and selecting one of a plurality of transformations for said portions; and at least one adder receiving the output intermediate values from a subset of said memories, the sum from said adder being a single coordinate of a transformed coordinate n-tuple, whereby said portions can be separately manipulated.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
A coordinate transform engine as in claim 1, further comprising means for computing the intermediate values stored in said memories.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
A coordinate transform engine as in claim 2, wherein said computing means is an accumulator.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
A coordinate transform engine as in claim 2, wherein said computing means is a microprocessor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
A coordinate transform engine as in claim 1, wherein said transform flag corresponds to different objects in said image, whereby a different transformation can be performed on at least one of the objects.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
128 words
A cut transformer for determining the orientation of a set of points with respect to a plane, said points making up an image and being represented at least by a coordinate n-tuple, said cut transformer comprising: a plurality of parallel transform memories, each being addressable by one coordinate of the n-tuple, said memories each providing as an output an intermediate value in response to said coordinate; and at least one adder receiving the output intermediate values from a subset of said memories, the sum from said adder being a cut characteristic, said characteristic indicating which side of the plane a particular point in the image occupies and selecting one of a plurality of spatial transformations in response thereto, whereby each side of the image can be independently manipulated.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
128 words
A cut transformer for determining the orientation of a set of points with respect to a plane, said points making up an image and being represented at least by a coordinate n-tuple, said cut transformer comprising: a plurality of parallel transform memories, each being addressable by one coordinate of the n-tuple, said memories each providing as an output an intermediate value in response to said coordinate; and at least one adder receiving the output intermediate values from a subset of said memories, the sum from said adder being a cut characteristic, said characteristic indicating which side of the plane a particular point in the image occupies and selecting one of a plurality of spatial transformations in response thereto, whereby each side of the image can be independently manipulated.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
194 words
A cut transformer for determining the location of a set of initial points with respect to a plane, said initial points making up an image and being represented by at least an x, y and z initial coordinate and said plane establishing a transformed coordinate system having an x', y' and z' coordinate wherein said z' coordinate represents the distance of each point from the plane, said cut transform comprising: a transform memory addressed by the x coordinate providing as an output the x contribution to the z' coordinate; a transform memory addressed by the y coordinate providing as an output the y contribution to the z' coordinate; a transform memory addressed by the z coordinate providing as an output the z contribution to the z' coordinate, said memories being adapted to operate in parallel; and an adder receiving the x, y and z contribution and providing as an output the sum thereof, said sum being a cut characteristic representing which side of the plane a particular point in the image occupies and selecting one of a plurality of spatial transformations in response thereto, whereby each side of the image can be independently manipulated.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
194 words
A cut transformer for determining the location of a set of initial points with respect to a plane, said initial points making up an image and being represented by at least an x, y and z initial coordinate and said plane establishing a transformed coordinate system having an x', y' and z' coordinate wherein said z' coordinate represents the distance of each point from the plane, said cut transform comprising: a transform memory addressed by the x coordinate providing as an output the x contribution to the z' coordinate; a transform memory addressed by the y coordinate providing as an output the y contribution to the z' coordinate; a transform memory addressed by the z coordinate providing as an output the z contribution to the z' coordinate, said memories being adapted to operate in parallel; and an adder receiving the x, y and z contribution and providing as an output the sum thereof, said sum being a cut characteristic representing which side of the plane a particular point in the image occupies and selecting one of a plurality of spatial transformations in response thereto, whereby each side of the image can be independently manipulated.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
118 words
A process for transforming a set of points in an image, each point represented by at least an initial coordinate n-tuple, the process comprising: addressing each of a plurality of parallel transform memories by a coordinate of the n-tuple and a transform flag of at least one bit, said memories each providing an intermediate value as an output in response to said coordinate and said transform flag, said transform flag corresponding to different portions of said image and selecting one of a plurality of transformations for said portions; and adding a subset of the intermediate value outputs in an adder, the sum being a single coordinate of a transformed coordinate n-tuple, whereby said portions can be separately manipulated.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
118 words
A process for transforming a set of points in an image, each point represented by at least an initial coordinate n-tuple, the process comprising: addressing each of a plurality of parallel transform memories by a coordinate of the n-tuple and a transform flag of at least one bit, said memories each providing an intermediate value as an output in response to said coordinate and said transform flag, said transform flag corresponding to different portions of said image and selecting one of a plurality of transformations for said portions; and adding a subset of the intermediate value outputs in an adder, the sum being a single coordinate of a transformed coordinate n-tuple, whereby said portions can be separately manipulated.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
A process as in claim 8, further comprising: computing the intermediate values for each of the memories; and storing the intermediate values in the memories.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
31 words
A process as in claim 8, wherein said transform flag corresponds to different objects in said image, whereby a different transformation can be performed on at least one of the objects.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
116 words
A process for determining the orientation of a set of points with respect to a plane, said points making up an image and being represented at least by a coordinate n-tuple, said process comprising: addressing each of a plurality of parallel transform memories by a coordinate of the n-tuple, said memories each providing an intermediate value as an output in response to said coordinate; and adding the intermediate value outputs in an adder, the sum being a cut characteristic, said characteristic indicating which side of the plane a particular point in the image occupies and selecting one of a plurality of spatial transformations in response thereto, whereby each side of the image can be independently manipulated.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
116 words
A process for determining the orientation of a set of points with respect to a plane, said points making up an image and being represented at least by a coordinate n-tuple, said process comprising: addressing each of a plurality of parallel transform memories by a coordinate of the n-tuple, said memories each providing an intermediate value as an output in response to said coordinate; and adding the intermediate value outputs in an adder, the sum being a cut characteristic, said characteristic indicating which side of the plane a particular point in the image occupies and selecting one of a plurality of spatial transformations in response thereto, whereby each side of the image can be independently manipulated.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4101967A
Cited
US4415928A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-11-25 | 1995-05-27 | 1995-11-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-11-25 | 1999-05-27 | 1999-11-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-11-25 | 2003-05-27 | 2003-11-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |