Programmable sliding window for image processing
First Claim
1. An improved method for providing a processor access to image data, said processor having a memory space of a given size, the method comprising:
- receiving an image for processing;
creating first, second, and third swappable windows for accessing image data from said image, said windows being swappable so that any two are available within the memory space of the processor while a third is being loaded in a background memory;
after initializing two of the windows with image data from said image and affixing those windows in the memory space of the processor as left and right adjacent windows, providing access to image data by performing substeps of;
i. loading the window that is not affixed in the memory space of the processor with image data from said image, said window temporarily comprising a shadow window that is loaded in the background memory, ii. swapping said windows such that the left window is removed from the memory space of the processor, the right window now becomes the left window in the memory space of the processor, the shadow window now becomes the right window in the memory space of the processor, and the left window removed from the memory space of the processor now becomes a temporary shadow window to be loaded in the background memory, and iii. providing access to the then-current left and right windows in the memory space of the processor for supporting image processing of said image.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A sliding window (block) system incorporating a methodology for providing a processor access to image data is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the system operates as follows. An image is received for processing that has a size that is too large for the processor to access directly. As a result, the sliding window system creates first, second, and third swappable windows (blocks) for accessing image data from the image; each windows is swappable so that any two are available within the memory space of the processor while a third is being loaded in a background memory. The system cycles through the three windows such that, at any given point in time, two of the three windows are affixed in the memory space of the processor as left and right adjacent windows, while the remaining or third window is being loaded in the background (e.g., in a DRAM) as a temporary shadow or background window. After the shadow window is loaded with appropriate image data, it is brought into the foreground (i.e., within the memory space of the processor) as the new right window. The prior (old) right window now becomes the new left window; the prior (old) left window now becomes a new shadow or background window. The process repeats as necessary, until all image data of the target image has been accessed/processed.
-
Citations
26 Claims
-
1. An improved method for providing a processor access to image data, said processor having a memory space of a given size, the method comprising:
-
receiving an image for processing;
creating first, second, and third swappable windows for accessing image data from said image, said windows being swappable so that any two are available within the memory space of the processor while a third is being loaded in a background memory;
after initializing two of the windows with image data from said image and affixing those windows in the memory space of the processor as left and right adjacent windows, providing access to image data by performing substeps of;
i. loading the window that is not affixed in the memory space of the processor with image data from said image, said window temporarily comprising a shadow window that is loaded in the background memory, ii. swapping said windows such that the left window is removed from the memory space of the processor, the right window now becomes the left window in the memory space of the processor, the shadow window now becomes the right window in the memory space of the processor, and the left window removed from the memory space of the processor now becomes a temporary shadow window to be loaded in the background memory, and iii. providing access to the then-current left and right windows in the memory space of the processor for supporting image processing of said image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
-
-
19. An apparatus for facilitating digital image processing, the apparatus comprising:
-
multiple two-dimensional image storage elements, including active and background ones;
a first control mechanism to temporarily map some of the two-dimensional image storage elements into an address space of a processor, whereupon those two-dimensional image storage elements become active in the address space of the processor;
a mechanism to background load one of the two-dimensional image storage elements that is not currently active in the address space of the processor; and
a second control mechanism to swap in the two-dimensional image storage element that has been background loaded into the address space of the processor, whereupon that two-dimensional image storage element becomes active in the address space of the processor.
-
Specification