Signal processing apparatus and method, and command-sequence data structure

• US 20050226529A1
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Tetsujiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,630,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/276
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/28 involving image processing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/59 involving spatial sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. alteration of picture size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/86 involving reduction of coding artifacts, e.g. of blockiness
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/90 using coding techniques not provided for in groups H04N19/10-H04N19/85, e.g. fractals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/98 Adaptive-dynamic-range coding [ADRC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/145 Movement estimation for video coding H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/21 Circuitry for suppressing or minimising disturbance, e.g. moiré or halo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0125 one of the standards being a high definition standard
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0145 the interpolation being class adaptive, i.e. it uses the information of class which is determined for a pixel based upon certain characteristics of the neighbouring pixels

Abstract

Many functions are implemented by using a single unit of hardware. A first receiver and a second receiver receive a command sequence consisting of a plurality of commands sent from a controller, and supply the command sequence to a first R-IC and a second R-IC, respectively. The first R-IC switches the internal configuration according to at least one command of the command sequence, performs signal processing on a received first signal, and outputs a second signal. The second R-IC switches the internal configuration according to at least one command of the command sequence, performs signal processing on the second signal output from the first R-IC, and outputs a third signal. The present invention can be used for an integrated circuit (IC).

Claims

1. A signal processing apparatus comprising:

first signal processing means for performing signal processing on a first signal after switching an internal structure of the first signal processing means according to at least one of a plurality of commands forming a command sequence and for outputting a second signal; and

second signal processing means for performing signal processing on the second signal after switching an internal structure of the second signal processing means according to at least one of the plurality of commands forming the command sequence and for outputting a third signal.

2. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first signal processing means and the second signal processing means is a one-chip integrated circuit.

3. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising command sequence generating means for generating the command sequence in response to a signal from an external source.

4. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first signal processing means or the second signal processing means performs noise removing processing for removing noise contained in the corresponding first or second signal, distortion removing processing for removing distortion occurring in the corresponding first or second signal, spatial-resolution creation processing for improving the spatial resolution of an image, or temporal-resolution creation processing for improving the temporal resolution of an image after switching the internal structure.

5. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first signal processing means performs computation by using a tap coefficient corresponding to a class obtained by classifying a selected signal component forming the second signal into one of a plurality of classes and by using the first signal corresponding to the selected signal component, thereby determining the selected signal component.

6. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first signal processing means comprises:

class tap selecting means for selecting, from the first signal, class taps used for classifying the selected signal component into one of the plurality of classes;

classifying means for classifying the selected signal component based on the class taps;

predictive tap selecting means for selecting, from the first signal, predictive taps used together with the tap coefficient to determine the selected signal component;

tap coefficient output means for outputting the tap coefficient corresponding to the class of the selected signal component; and

computing means for determining the selected signal component by performing computation by using the tap coefficient corresponding to the class of the selected signal component and the predictive taps corresponding to the selected signal component.

7. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first signal processing means switches the internal structure so that the type of tap coefficient output from the tap coefficient output means is changed.

8. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second signal processing means performs computation by using a tap coefficient corresponding to a class obtained by classifying a selected signal component forming the third signal into one of a plurality of classes and by using the second signal corresponding to the selected signal component, thereby determining the selected signal component.

9. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second signal processing means comprises:

class tap selecting means for selecting, from the second signal, class taps used for classifying the selected signal component into one of the plurality of classes;

classifying means for classifying the selected signal component based on the class taps;

predictive tap selecting means for selecting, from the second signal, predictive taps used together with the tap coefficient to determine the selected signal component;

tap coefficient output means for outputting the tap coefficient corresponding to the class of the selected signal component; and

computing means for determining the selected signal component by performing computation by using the tap coefficient corresponding to the class of the selected signal component and the predictive taps corresponding to the selected signal component.

10. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second signal processing means switches the internal structure so that the type of tap coefficient output from the tap coefficient output means is changed.

11. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal are a first image signal, a second image signal, and a third image signal, respectively;

the first signal processing means performs spatial-resolution creation processing for improving the spatial resolution of the first image signal or image reducing processing for reducing the size of the first image signal after switching the internal structure so as to output the second image signal; and

the second signal processing means performs noise removing processing for removing noise of the second image signal or temporal-resolution creation processing for improving the temporal resolution of the second image signal after switching the internal structure so as to output the third image signal.

12. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising image signal output means for receiving a broadcast signal and for outputting the first image signal obtained from the broadcast signal.

13. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising motion vector detecting means for detecting motion vectors according to one of the plurality of commands forming the command sequence,

wherein the first signal processing means or the second signal processing means performs signal processing by using the motion vectors detected by the motion vector detecting means.

14. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising image signal storage means for storing the third image signal according to one of the plurality of commands forming the command sequence.

15. A signal processing method for a signal processing apparatus comprising first signal processing means and second signal processing means, the signal processing method comprising:

a first signal processing step of performing by the first signal processing means signal processing on a first signal after switching an internal structure of the first signal processing means according to at least one of a plurality of commands forming a command sequence so as to output a second signal; and

a second signal processing step of performing by the second signal processing means signal processing on the second signal after switching an internal structure of the second signal processing means according to at least one of the plurality of commands forming the command sequence so as to output a third signal.

16. A signal processing apparatus comprising:

first signal processing means for performing signal processing on a first signal after switching an internal structure of the first signal processing means according to at least one of a plurality of commands forming a command sequence and for outputting a second signal,

wherein the second signal is subjected to signal processing by second signal processing means that switches an internal structure of the second signal processing means according to at least one of the plurality of commands forming the command sequence.

17. A signal processing apparatus comprising:

second signal processing means for performing signal processing on a second signal, the second signal being output as a result of performing signal processing on a first signal by first signal processing means that switches an internal structure of the first signal processing means according to at least one of a plurality of commands forming a command sequence,

wherein the second signal processing means performs signal processing on the second signal after switching an internal structure of the second signal processing means according to at least one of the plurality of commands forming the command sequence so as to output a third signal.

18. A signal processing apparatus comprising:

command sequence receiving means for receiving a command sequence including a plurality of commands; and

signal processing means for switching an internal structure of the signal processing means to a first state according to the command sequence to perform first signal processing, and for then switching the internal structure to a second state according to the command sequence to perform second signal processing.

19. A signal processing apparatus comprising:

a command sequence receiving unit configured to receive a command sequence including a plurality of commands; and

a signal processing unit configured to switch an internal structure of the signal processing unit to a first state according to the command sequence so as to perform first signal processing, and then to switch the internal structure to a second state according to the command sequence so as to perform second signal processing.

20. A signal processing method comprising:

a command sequence receiving step of receiving a command sequence including a plurality of commands; and

a signal processing step of switching an internal structure to a first state according to the command sequence so as to perform first signal processing, and of switching the internal structure to a second state according to the command sequence so as to perform second signal processing.

21. A command-sequence data structure comprising a plurality of commands for causing signal processing means for performing signal processing to switch an internal structure of the signal processing means,

wherein one of the plurality of commands corresponds to first signal processing performed by the signal processing means, and

another command of the plurality of commands corresponds to second signal processing performed by the signal processing means after the signal processing means performs the first signal processing.