A multiaccess frame buffer architecture

Many current graphical display systems are based around a memory array commonly known as a frame buffer. In these systems, the frame buffer contains the array of pixels currently being displayed. Updates to the display are accomplished by modifying the values in the frame buffer. The author demonstrates how the performance of frame buffer based systems can be improved by decreasing the number of accesses to the frame buffer memory array. The proposed architecture, referred to as a multiaccess frame buffer, allows parallel access to constant area rectangles of the array of pixels stored in the frame buffer rather than the row oriented accesses required by most current frame buffer architectures. By allowing more general types of access, a given update can be performed with fewer frame buffer accesses